The 2010 Video Games Thread

[SackAttack]

I'm a little surprised to see the low review scores White Knight Chronicles is getting. WTF happened there?

[k0ruptr]

wow. Splinter Cell: Conviction looks fucking amazing. I.Want.Now

[Epi_862]

Guys, i need help.

My father turns 60, and we want to hook him up with a flight simulator. Im looking for help as to what to buy.

He has a powerful OSX mac, with a huge screen.

What we need is a simulator and a "flight stick". This is where my experties end. Hopefully some flight-sim fanatic stumbles upon this and is kind enough to help.

The man actually flew in real life for quite some time when he was younger, so the sim should not be on the dumbed down side - quite the opposite, preferably.

Thanks in advance.

[gstelmack]

Guys, i need help.

My father turns 60, and we want to hook him up with a flight simulator. Im looking for help as to what to buy.

He has a powerful OSX mac, with a huge screen.

What we need is a simulator and a "flight stick". This is where my experties end. Hopefully some flight-sim fanatic stumbles upon this and is kind enough to help.

The man actually flew in real life for quite some time when he was younger, so the sim should not be on the dumbed down side - quite the opposite, preferably.

Thanks in advance.

X-Plane (http://www.x-plane.com/)

CH Products - Retail Gaming Joysticks (http://www.chproducts.com/retail/index.html)

[cartman]

I have the CH Yoke and Pedals, and I can vouch for their quality. Excellent products.

The following website is a great resource for all things related to computer flight sims:

http://www.flightsim.com/

[Epi_862]

Another question for you flight-sim guys.

Is a good setup a flightstick and rudder pedals? I mean for someone who has flown a real plane, and would like to simulate that?

I have no idea what i should get.

[JetsIn06]

I think there's another thread for RROD stuff, but I have to vent. I just purchased my FOURTH 360 and got it yesterday. Many of them used and only $70, but still....FOUR.

And guess what happens tonight? I'm watching The Office on Netflix and bam...it freezes. Go to turn it back on....nothing on the screen. A few seconds later, the dreaded 3 Red Lights come on.

I bought it on eBay, and while I think I can get it exchanged, I still have to pay to mail it back to them and am always sort of wary about eBay returns/exchanges.

I wish I could just get a refund and call it a day with the 360 for a while.

[SackAttack]

Had a power surge while I was playing Mass Effect 2 last night. Lamp went out and back on, 360 lost power and came back with three red lights, and I nearly shat myself.

Turned it off, back on, and it has run without issue since, but...I came this close to needing new underpants.

[JetsIn06]

Had a power surge while I was playing Mass Effect 2 last night. Lamp went out and back on, 360 lost power and came back with three red lights, and I nearly shat myself.

Turned it off, back on, and it has run without issue since, but...I came this close to needing new underpants.

Unfortunately mine doesn't turn back on no matter what I try. :(

[CleBrownsfan]

Anyone purchasing Heavy Rain tomorrow? I definitely want to play it just don't see the replay value to purchase it. I think I'm going to rent it. I think I remember hearing or read somewhere that there will be some D/L content where you can play as the killer. Anyone recall if that's true or did I just dream that? ;)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Anyone purchasing Heavy Rain tomorrow? I definitely want to play it just don't see the replay value to purchase it. I think I'm going to rent it. I think I remember hearing or read somewhere that there will be some D/L content where you can play as the killer. Anyone recall if that's true or did I just dream that? ;)

Yes, I'll be purchasing it. Yes, there will be DLC to play as the killer.

Next two weeks are fantastic for PS3 owners. Heavy Rain released this week and MLB 10: The Show next week. Outstanding.

[CleBrownsfan]

Holy S! I didn't know The Show was already being released next week! Nice!

[gstelmack]

Another question for you flight-sim guys.

Is a good setup a flightstick and rudder pedals? I mean for someone who has flown a real plane, and would like to simulate that?

I have no idea what i should get.

For civilian sims, get the flight yoke and rudder pedals mentioned right before you. The biggest issue a real plane afficianado will have is the lack of force feedback, but good force feedback sticks have kind of died off.

For jet sims, you want a stick (not yoke), throttle, and pedals.

[DeToxRox]

Heavy Rain is out tomorrow. Really looking forward to this. The reviews are all raving about the game and the demo was great. I hear it starts slow but really picks up.

anyone else getting it?

[PurdueBrad]

Heavy Rain is out tomorrow. Really looking forward to this. The reviews are all raving about the game and the demo was great. I hear it starts slow but really picks up.

anyone else getting it?

It arrives tomorrow via Amazon and I can't wait. Although I've just really gotten into Dragon Age and The Show comes out the next week, GUH!!!!

[Eaglesfan27]

It arrives tomorrow via Amazon and I can't wait. Although I've just really gotten into Dragon Age and The Show comes out the next week, GUH!!!!

From everything I've read, it is short enough (8-10 hours are what I'm reading in some of the reviews) that it is very possible to finish it before next week. I'm looking forward to playing it this weekend.

[Philliesfan980]

Heavy Rain sounds great, but for the game length, I think this might be better off getting used 6 months down the line when the market will be flooded with copies. Should be able to get it for around $30 then.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Heavy Rain sounds great, but for the game length, I think this might be better off getting used 6 months down the line when the market will be flooded with copies. Should be able to get it for around $30 then.

By the same token, you can get it right away, finish it in a week or two, and still get $25-35 in resale or great trade in on Goosex (sp?).

[RainMaker]

From everything I've read, it is short enough (8-10 hours are what I'm reading in some of the reviews) that it is very possible to finish it before next week. I'm looking forward to playing it this weekend.
That would be disappointing if true considering it took forever to develop the game. Hopefully that's just the time frame if you pound through the game as fast as you can.

[Philliesfan980]

By the same token, you can get it right away, finish it in a week or two, and still get $25-35 in resale or great trade in on Goosex (sp?).

That's a good point, but since MLB the Show is coming out next week, I'm sure that will end up taking a lot of my gaming time anyway. Plus if I get it used for around $30, I'll retain posession of the copy.

Changing topics, has anyone heard anything about Mafia 2 lately? I know it keeps on getting pushed back, but this is one I'm eagerly awaiting.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

That's a good point, but since MLB the Show is coming out next week, I'm sure that will end up taking a lot of my gaming time anyway. Plus if I get it used for around $30, I'll retain posession of the copy.

Changing topics, has anyone heard anything about Mafia 2 lately? I know it keeps on getting pushed back, but this is one I'm eagerly awaiting.

There's some interesting period games on the horizon (Mafia 2, LA Noire, Red Dead Redemption), but until they get firm release dates, it's hard for me to get too excited about any of them.

[CleBrownsfan]

That would be disappointing if true considering it took forever to develop the game. Hopefully that's just the time frame if you pound through the game as fast as you can.

This is why it's most likely going to be a rental for me. 8 hours of play for a game that took years to complete?! I remember seeing Heavy Rain in a E3 video a couple or maybe even 3 years ago.

[rowech]

Heavy Rain -- correct me if I'm wrong but they have really gone and made it a point that the game has extreme replayibility based upon all the decisions one has to make. That essentially, you have countless ways the game can go and end based upon all that happens.

[TroyF]

I'm playing my way through Bioshock 2 now. I have Mass Effect 2 lined up right after I finish that. The Show will take up a lot of my time as well. God of War in a month will take up a ridiculous amount of time.

Heavy Rain will be purchased sometime during the Summer lull period. I just don't have time right now.

[CleBrownsfan]

Heavy Rain -- correct me if I'm wrong but they have really gone and made it a point that the game has extreme replayibility based upon all the decisions one has to make. That essentially, you have countless ways the game can go and end based upon all that happens.

You're right but I guess the ending will be the same no matter what choices you choose - at least that is what I've read.

[rowech]

You're right but I guess the ending will be the same no matter what choices you choose - at least that is what I've read.

We've been reading different stuff. I swear I read something that said the game had 20 different endings.

[RainMaker]

I'm guessing the ending is the same in the sense that you catch the killer or whatever. But the endings can come in different ways with different cutscenes for it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Picked up Heavy Rain yesterday. Took advantage of the 50% trade-in bonus over at Gamestop.

I'll probably hold off on playing it until this weekend. I'll have plenty of gaming time available after my vasectomy on Friday. :(

[CleBrownsfan]

A buddy wanted to try out Heavy Rain so we decided to go halves on it. I get it first since he's on the road for work. I played probably two hours last night and I'm enjoying the ride. As mentioned in the reviews the beginning has been slow but I knew this going into it. I think it just started to pick up when I decided I needed to go to bed. Moving around takes a little to get use to and some of the camera angles are odd. One more complaint I have is when you're frantic it's hard to read the font on which option to select. There were two times where I couldn't read which button to push for each option and it just "defaulted" to one of them. Other than that I really like how they get each character involved in the story. My wife was watching me play last night and she would actually look up at the screen a lot while I was playing to see what was going on ;) My plan is to beat it over the weekend in time for The Show. I'll post some no spoiler comments after that.

[MJ4H]

Galaxy 2 and Metroid Other M both confirmed for this summer.

[Calis]

I grabbed Heavy Rain also yesterday. I was an oddball who really enjoyed Indigo Prophecy(until it jumped the shark) so I've been very excited for this. I played a couple hours and even got my wife hooked. She was really into the parts I played as Ethan. She never watches me play a game, so that's saying something.

I'm really enjoying it. It is a very niche game and is very easy to mock for the faults it has. If you can get past that though it is a really interesting twist on the Adventure genre. It works a lot harder to try and earn an emotional reaction from the player than any other game I've played.

The voice acting is pretty bad, and I think they shoehorned into some idiotic controls at times to keep the player involved. I'm loving seeing a game not afraid to be deliberately based and take some time to setup though, so I'm loving it. It even caught me off guard with some questions and decisions. It isn't a save/reload type game because you. Have no idea what effects thing have, in a good way. No obvious good/bad answers.

Can't wait to delve further into it.

[CleBrownsfan]

Yeah - the voice acting is kind of weak. You think with the time and money they put into this game they could have hired some Americans to do some voice over work.

[Kodos]

I remember my roommate and his girlfriend enjoyed watching me play through Silent Hill 2. And my wife paid some attention to ICO when I was playing that.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Yeah - the voice acting is kind of weak. You think with the time and money they put into this game they could have hired some Americans to do some voice over work.

Here's a look at the actors behind the main characters if you're interested. The female lead is awfully easy on the eyes.

Reality blurs between Heavy Rain characters and actors (http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/02/heavy-rain-characters-and-actors.ars)

[CleBrownsfan]

dang - that Sam Douglas looks like Scott Shelby to the T.

[PurdueBrad]

I'm enjoying it a lot although I see what people were saying about the first 45 minutes. I'm very impressed and, as I saw above, my wife is really into it as well. The only games that she's ever really gotten into watching/commenting on while I play are Mass Effect 1 & 2, Uncharted 1 & 2, and this.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Some details on the first DLC for Bioshock 2, a multi-player only add-on.
First Bioshock 2 DLC detailed, more planned (http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/02/first-bioshock-2-dlc-detailed-more-planned.ars)

[DataKing]

I haven't even tried any of the BioShock 2 multiplayer stuff yet. I'm still having a lot of fun in single player.

[MJ4H]

Nintendo Media Summit Release Dates:

Megaman 10 (WiiWare) – March 1
Max and the Magic Marker (WiiWare) – March 8
Monster Hunter Tri Demo (Wii) – March 8
Cave Story (WiiWare) – March 22
Nintendo DSi XL (Hardware, $189.99) – March 28
WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase (WiiWare) – March 29
Monster Hunter Tri Classic Controller Pro Bundle (Wii) – April 20
Picross 3D (DS) – May 3
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii/DS) – May 18
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) – May 23
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor (Wii) – June 7
100 Classic Books (DS, $19.99) – June 14
Metroid: Other M (Wii) – June 27
Art Style Light Trax (WiiWare) – Spring
Art Style Rotozoa (WiiWare) – Spring
Metal Torrent (DSiWare) – Spring
X-Scape (DSiWare) – Spring
Photo Dojo (DSiWare) – Spring
Rage of the Gladiator (WiiWare) – Spring
FlingSmash (Wii) – Summer
And Yet It Moves (WiiWare) – Summer
Super Meat Boy (WiiWare) – Summer
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DS) – Summer
Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal (DSi) – October
Disney Guilty Party (Wii) – TBA
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[SackAttack]

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is positively Kleenex-worthy if you enjoyed the first one.

[Big Fo]

Monster Hunter 3, Sin and Punishment 2, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Metroid: Other M all releasing within a two month span is surprising and very awesome.

Back when Square Enix announced that Dragon Quest X would be a Wii game their CEO and Nintendo's CEO said that they'd work together to give DQ a big push in the West, Nintendo publishing DQ9 must be part of that. I hope it works out, more people need to experience the DQ's greatness. And with Nintendo publishing maybe there won't be a Square Enix tax.

I want to try some of those DSi games but the DSi just costs too much imo, $170 for a DSi or $190 for a DSi XL when I already have a DS.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is positively Kleenex-worthy if you enjoyed the first one.

Yeah, can't wait for the sequel to the greatest game of all time. Both new trailers looked great.

[SackAttack]

I'll have plenty of gaming time available after my vasectomy on Friday. :(

Ouch.

A buddy wanted to try out Heavy Rain so we decided to go halves on it.

Worst...comment...timing...ever. ;)

[CrimsonFox]

Only thing I'm playing lately is WoW so Lich King is only thing I have to comment about. Like it a lot. Howling Fjord and Dragonblight are my favorites. Great quest lines. HATE Borean Tundra a, more for the map design than anything else. Basin is all grind and run too. I'm on the fence about their "special modes" like dragonfigthing, tank riding and such. It's all a bit klunky still. I hope Cataclysm makes things better.

[Greyroofoo]

I can't wait for DQ IX. I just wish I could get my hands DQ VI in the meantime.

[Big Fo]

I can't wait for DQ IX. I just wish I could get my hands DQ VI in the meantime.

DQ IX came out in Japan in July 2009, DQ VI remake came out last month. So with DQ IX being released here in the summer, maybe we'll get the DQ VI remake early in 2011. The old SNES version never released outside Japan has a fan translation but I think I'll just wait for the remake when it comes eventually.

I've been going through DQ V for the second time marrying Nera instead of Bianca, it's such a great game. The story really sucks me in more so than most other RPGs I've played.

[sterlingice]

Definitely waiting for DQ IX as well and, yeah, I'd love DQ VI, too :)

SI

[MJ4H]

Metroid Other M screenshots:

Metroid Other M - Nintendo Media Summit Screen Shots | WiiNintendo (http://www.wiinintendo.net/2010/02/24/metroid-other-m-nintendo-media-summit-screen-shots/)

[MJ4H]

Hands-on impressions of Metriod Other M. Apparently it's mostly a 2-D game (2.5 really) played with the wii-mote held sideways, but you can switch to 1st person view at any time by pointing the remote at the screen. Impressions are very positive.

[TroyF]

Getting ready for The Show this week I decided to put Bioshock 2 into overdrive. I really have enjoyed the story and I will be playing through this one again at some point. I just love the Bioshock universe.

The Show, God of War 3 and I still have to start Mass Effect 2. Yikes.

[RainMaker]

Ughh...I've got The Show and Battlefield Bad Company 2 coming this week and haven't even come close to finishing Bioshock 2. Not to mention Heavy Rain just came and is still in the wrapper.

They need to start spreading these things out better.

[TroyF]

Yeah, I've just pushed Heavy Rain off until the Summer sometime. Actually, I've pushed any game not titled "The Show", "Mass Effect 2", "God of War 3", "FM 2010" or "FOF" to the back end of the Summer. No way in hell I'll have time for anything other than those 5 after I finish up with BioShock 2.

[DeToxRox]

I loved Heavy Rain but you can knock it out in a weekend if you so desire.

[CleBrownsfan]

DeTox - you see any reason to play through it again? I beat it over the weekend and really don't have the desire to replay it. I liked it but didn't crack into my favorite game experiences like I thought it was going to.

[DeToxRox]

DeTox - you see any reason to play through it again? I beat it over the weekend and really don't have the desire to replay it. I liked it but didn't crack into my favorite game experiences like I thought it was going to.

Honestly I have considered it, but I didn't play as much as I wanted during the week. Had I been able to I would have probably done it over the weekend but with the Show coming out tomorrow I just can't see it being played any time soon.

I liked it a lot, and I think the next game by the people who made this one can be excellent, but it is better off as a rental.

I'll trade it in to Gamestop for like 30 bucks in store credit and pay off God of War III with it I believe.

[CleBrownsfan]

Honestly I have considered it, but I didn't play as much as I wanted during the week. Had I been able to I would have probably done it over the weekend but with the Show coming out tomorrow I just can't see it being played any time soon.

I liked it a lot, and I think the next game by the people who made this one can be excellent, but it is better off as a rental.

I'll trade it in to Gamestop for like 30 bucks in store credit and pay off God of War III with it I believe.

Why not try Craigslist? I have two inquiries on my Heavy Rain listing for $45 and I just put it up on Sunday.

[DeToxRox]

Why not try Craigslist? I have two inquiries on my Heavy Rain listing for $45 and I just put it up on Sunday.

Wow. Glad you told me that. I am gonna do that then.

Thanks for the heads up!

[samifan24]

Has anyone run into this nasty PS3 clock bug yet? I noticed my PS3's clock was set to January 1, 1979 or something last night while playing Fallout 3 but haven't had any other problems. I did read that MLB 09 is unplayable right now, even in single player mode. Hopefully Sony will patch this one up soon.

[DataKing]

Finished my first playthrough of BioShock 2 over the weekend. I won't get into spoilers, but personally the "good guy" ending felt a little weak. I really liked the "good guy" ending of the first one, and IMO this one didn't compare. That being said, it was still a lot better than some of the other junk out there.

Placing BioShock 2 on the back-burner for a little while now and going back to Borderlands for a while as my preferred shooter. I started messing with the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned over the weekend and find it pretty entertaining. I've pretty well burnt-out on L4D2, so that gets put on the shelf for a while too.

[MikeVic]

Has anyone run into this nasty PS3 clock bug yet? I noticed my PS3's clock was set to January 1, 1979 or something last night while playing Fallout 3 but haven't had any other problems. I did read that MLB 09 is unplayable right now, even in single player mode. Hopefully Sony will patch this one up soon.

Yes and it's pissing me off. I can't check now, but last night I couldn't connect to PSN and my date/clock was jacked. There are more comments in the Ping: MBBF thread.

[RainMaker]

Forgot about Borderlands as I'm about halfway through the latest DLC.

[TroyF]

Finished my first playthrough of BioShock 2 over the weekend. I won't get into spoilers, but personally the "good guy" ending felt a little weak. I really liked the "good guy" ending of the first one, and IMO this one didn't compare. That being said, it was still a lot better than some of the other junk out there.

Placing BioShock 2 on the back-burner for a little while now and going back to Borderlands for a while as my preferred shooter. I started messing with the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned over the weekend and find it pretty entertaining. I've pretty well burnt-out on L4D2, so that gets put on the shelf for a while too.


I just beat it and I kind of agree, the ending was a little weak. I really loved the story up until the end. It wasn't nearly as bad as Fallout 3 (which was simply ridiculous). I wish it would have been a little bit better though. I keep hearing good things about Borderlands, but it'll just have to wait til summer with everything else. My PS3 will probably be played more in the next month than it has the previous two years. The Show and God of War are going to be getting a ton of my time this month.

[DeToxRox]

I just beat it and I kind of agree, the ending was a little weak. I really loved the story up until the end. It wasn't nearly as bad as Fallout 3 (which was simply ridiculous). I wish it would have been a little bit better though. I keep hearing good things about Borderlands, but it'll just have to wait til summer with everything else. My PS3 will probably be played more in the next month than it has the previous two years. The Show and God of War are going to be getting a ton of my time this month.

Borderlands is excellent to play multiplayer. It's good single player but it's just amazing multiplayer.

[DeToxRox]

What BioShock do you recommend to get? 1 or 2?

I'd pick up #1 first. It's cheaper and the better game. Bioshock 2 is not bad by any means but I think you get more bang for your buck with #1.

[DataKing]

What BioShock do you recommend to get? 1 or 2?

Agree with DeTox, get #1. A big part of the game is the story (unusual for shooters), and #2 pretty much assumes you know what happened in #1.

[illinifan999]

Looks like the first bit of info about this year's NCAA Football is out.

"

Numbers on helmets
On-field referees
Tweaked Pro-Tak gang tackling
Auto-saves
Auto-loading of rosters
Formation substitutions
New equipment
Online Dynasty will have all bowl games played in a single week
Dynamic conference logos for when teams move conferencestaken from pastapadre.

Really is sad how long it's taken to get some of the stuff from xbox/ps2 to 360/ps3.

[Philliesfan980]

Looks like the first bit of info about this year's NCAA Football is out.

"

Numbers on helmets
On-field referees
Tweaked Pro-Tak gang tackling
Auto-saves
Auto-loading of rosters
Formation substitutions
New equipment
Online Dynasty will have all bowl games played in a single week
Dynamic conference logos for when teams move conferencestaken from pastapadre.

Really is sad how long it's taken to get some of the stuff from xbox/ps2 to 360/ps3.

Still no FCS teams, or the ability to create a post season tournament. Really sad that these options aren't available.

[RainMaker]

Still no FCS teams, or the ability to create a post season tournament. Really sad that these options aren't available.
It does take time to port over options that were in the game 12 years ago to the "next gen".

[RainMaker]

Borderlands is excellent to play multiplayer. It's good single player but it's just amazing multiplayer.
Agreed. If you have a friend who will start off with you at a low level, you will have a blast with this game. I actually think playing by yourself would kind of suck considering the awesomeness of multiplayer.

[RainMaker]

What BioShock do you recommend to get? 1 or 2?
I'd get 1 right now. It's dirt cheap and still an amazing game. I think you can buy it off Live for $20 and probably cheaper on Ebay. By the time you get around to 2, the price should be down a bit.

[rowech]

Going back to Steam for a second...I'm not sure I understand what the heck it is. Don't you just download a game from there? What am I missing?

[gstelmack]

Going back to Steam for a second...I'm not sure I understand what the heck it is. Don't you just download a game from there? What am I missing?

Yes. You run a client on your machine, it talks to their servers. You have an account, they track what games you own, and through their client you can remove or download games you own and play them from any computer. It handles the licensing, copy protection, etc.

Welcome to Steam (http://www.steampowered.com)

[JonInMiddleGA]

What BioShock do you recommend to get? 1 or 2?

I'll pile on with the others & say 1 ... unless you just have to have multiplayer then 2 is your only choice. Otherwise save the money, enjoy 1 and have 2 waiting in the wings down the road when it's cheaper.

[PurdueBrad]

Didn't see anything about this yet, but a "new" Tecmo Bowl coming to 360 and PS3. Link here:

Tecmo Bowl Throwback huddles up on XBL, PSN this spring - Xbox 360 News at GameSpot (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/sports/tecmobowl/news.html?sid=6252683&om_act=convert&om_clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures;title)

[Big Fo]

Tecmo are still too lazy to make any new plays, those were all on the second NES game. It won't be hard for them to make it better than the massively disappointing DS game that came out a year or two ago.

[Scoobz0202]

I forgot about those cocksuckers at EA holding the license for the NFL.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Red Dead Redemption was delayed one month for fine tuning.

[MikeVic]

I'm enjoying Battlefield online right now.

One thing though, just as a general video game industry comment... I think games are too expensive. I spent $80 for this game after taxes. If this wasn't an online game that I wanted to play with friends RIGHT NOW, I could wait a couple of months and get it used for $40 or so online. $80 is way too high for me to pay for games regularly, and I'm just wondering if anyone else feels the same?

[Samdari]

I'm enjoying Battlefield online right now.

One thing though, just as a general video game industry comment... I think games are too expensive. I spent $80 for this game after taxes. If this wasn't an online game that I wanted to play with friends RIGHT NOW, I could wait a couple of months and get it used for $40 or so online. $80 is way too high for me to pay for games regularly, and I'm just wondering if anyone else feels the same?

20 years ago, for SNES and AAA PC games I was paying $50 per title. These days, that has risen to $60 for console and $50 for PC. Compare housing, grocery, gas prices etc. I'm amazed games are as cheap as they are.

[Fidatelo]

I agree with Samdari. I remember Mortal Kombat for the N64 sold for $124 when it came out new. Many N64 titles were over the $100 mark. Sure, the weakness of the Canadian dollar played a role in that at the time, but still.

[MikeVic]

20 years ago, for SNES and AAA PC games I was paying $50 per title. These days, that has risen to $60 for console and $50 for PC. Compare housing, grocery, gas prices etc. I'm amazed games are as cheap as they are.

Yeah, maybe my views are heavily influenced by the fact that I rarely bought new games. I think for the NES I would only buy used games, and for the SNES the only new game I bought was NHL 97. Then for awhile when I didn't have many other expenses, I'd buy some computer and PS1 games... but for the most part I've bought used so my mentality is different.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Some rumors coming out ahead of Game Developer Conference. First, Resistance 3 will be announced Friday with game trailer. Second, an yet unannounced PS3 exclusive will be announced at GDC '10 (possibly as soon as today). Finally, a trailer was leaked for Gran Turismo 5 showing an interview of the developer about the NASCAR portion of the game.........

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[RainMaker]

Anyone try the Just Cause 2 demo yet? This made me LOL.

http://i45.tinypic.com/ifbajp.gif

[SackAttack]

I'm enjoying Battlefield online right now.

One thing though, just as a general video game industry comment... I think games are too expensive. I spent $80 for this game after taxes. If this wasn't an online game that I wanted to play with friends RIGHT NOW, I could wait a couple of months and get it used for $40 or so online. $80 is way too high for me to pay for games regularly, and I'm just wondering if anyone else feels the same?

Some of that's gonna be cultural - the exchange rate and all of that.

But as others have pointed out, the cartridge era routinely saw games much more expensive than USD$60.

Phantasy Star 4, when it came out, was $100, if memory serves. Couple of the Zeldas got up close to that with Nintendo. So on.

Part of that was chip shortages - components were more expensive, demand outstripped supply, and so you wound up with $100 games.

These days? It's not physical production costs, but the fact that it's more expensive to develop on today's hardware; inflation is partly in play here, but partly also you have much more massive development teams, advertising is a bigger part of the industry than it used to be, and so on.

In real terms, once you adjust for inflation and the like, I'm pretty sure games today are cheaper off the shelf than they were twenty-five years ago.

[sterlingice]

I remember Final Fantasy 3 (SNES) was $75 at Babbages.

SI

[gstelmack]

Anyone try the Just Cause 2 demo yet? This made me LOL.

This game is one of my very few day-1 purchases, so I may skip the demo entirely given the game is right around the corner. The first one really focused on the fun factor and I had a blast with it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Second, an yet unannounced PS3 exclusive will be announced at GDC '10 (possibly as soon as today).

Guess we got our answer. SOCOM 4 announced for Fall 2010. Full single/multiplayer campaign with online play.

[JediKooter]

I still have some of my old Atari 2600 games and their boxes. I believe the price tag from KMart for PacMan was 59.99.

[terpkristin]

I remember Final Fantasy 3 (SNES) was $75 at Babbages.

SI

And worth every freaking penny. :D

/tk

[Tasan]

Just got my PC Gamer in the mail today. Loads of Fallout New Vegas stuff in it. It looks really, really good so far.

[DaddyTorgo]

Just Cause 2?? WTF is this game?? It's fucking awesome!!

[DaddyTorgo]

This game is one of my very few day-1 purchases, so I may skip the demo entirely given the game is right around the corner. The first one really focused on the fun factor and I had a blast with it.

haha awesome. i just tried the demo and it was...exhilarating.

[ColtCrazy]

I just got Fallout 3 on the cheap. Never really played another FPS outside of KOTOR and I'm really loving it. Glad to hear there's another coming out.

As for NCAA, unless something ground breaking happens (which it won't) I'll be sticking to this past season's NCAA and Madden.

[sterlingice]

Fallout 3 an FPS? You mean RPG?

SI

[MrDNA]

I feel like Fallout 3 is an FPS/RPG hybrid. It's certainly not a straight RPG, although the combat isn't quite at an FPS level. I just picked it up a few weeks ago for 25 bones and I'm loving it. The game is friggin HUGE and it's so fun to discover new things. Also, it doesn't have the annoyance factor that RPG games I've seen my fiancee play have.

[sterlingice]

True, a FPS/RPG hybrid is a good description. I go with "American-style RPG" but FPS/RPG hybrid is probably better

SI

[Greyroofoo]

KotOR a FPS?

[RainMaker]

This game is one of my very few day-1 purchases, so I may skip the demo entirely given the game is right around the corner. The first one really focused on the fun factor and I had a blast with it.
Yeah, I recently picked up the first for dirt cheap and it's a blast. I mean the gameplay has a lot of flaws but you just don't care because it's all about the fun. I love how they don't really even bother to make it realistic and just aim for crazy shit.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Fallout 3 is a great game. It's definitely a RPG/FPS hybrid, though I tended to use the VAT system for combat more often than not. I wouldn't use it during simple fights, but anything remotely complex it was VAt all the way. A good way to conserve ammo (at least for me) and I've always enjoyed turn-based stuff in general.

[Radii]

I just finished up Heavy Rain. I think its easy to finish it feeling like its a great game because the story was very good.. but in the end I feel like it was a good story wrapped up in a pretty shitty game. Perhaps I just failed to become immersed in the story until the very end, but I felt like upwards of 70% of the game was meaningless button mashing for a couple lines of dialogue that I didn't give a shit about. I'm glad I tried it out, its good to see innovation, but if this game took more than 8-10 hours to beat I would have quit very early on. Only because I knew it was so short did I stick it out to see how the story ended/could end.

Also, this game offers no more replayability than any other game I've ever played, I just read a walkthrough to see what could happen instead of wasting my time.

Interesting concept, I don't feel like the first time through was a bad experience, but it was not a great one by any stretch.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Good summation by Bill Harris about the Heavy Rain experience.

Dubious Quality: Heavy Rain (http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2010/03/heavy-rain.html)

I, much like him, was far more absorbed into the story than I ever thought I would be on the first playthrough. I'll be replaying for sure.

[PurdueBrad]

I enjoyed Heavy Rain, a lot, and like the idea of the plot-driven experience provided by games like Heavy Rain, Uncharted, and Mass Effect. I thought it was definitely worth my time (although I will not be playing through again) but I do look forward to someone putting together a story with a much more solid, clear plot.

I agree with Harris, there are some absolute stand-out scenes. There are also some pretty big issues (and I actually thought, after playing the demo, they wouldn't bother me but I was wrong).

I think for me this is a game that scratches the surface of what is possible and I look forward to others digging much, much deeper into that.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I think for me this is a game that scratches the surface of what is possible and I look forward to others digging much, much deeper into that.

Yeah, this is a case where I'm hoping for some level of copycat games. The HR developer has already said they aren't looking to make a sequel, so there is a void to be filled.

I was a huge fan of 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books when I was a kid. When I play this game, I get that same feeling that I loved with those old books, except it's obviously a much more involved experience.

[gstelmack]

Just Cause 2?? WTF is this game?? It's fucking awesome!!

If you missed the original, pick it up cheap and play it.

[Radii]

Definitely my biggest issue with Heavy Rain is that for whatever reason I did not feel immersed in the story until very late in the game. There were some intense scenes mixed in but just way too often I was just rushing to the next step. Without that immersion the games flaws were overwhelming at times.

I agree with Harris, there are some absolute stand-out scenes. There are also some pretty big issues (and I actually thought, after playing the demo, they wouldn't bother me but I was wrong).

I have a few big general problems that I just could never get past. The first was the R2 mechanic to walk, and the fact that there were just two set camera angles in every area. The simple act of walking felt clumsy the entire way. When you are simply walking down a hallway or looking for some stairs the difficulty of trying to get from point A to point B while looking around to make sure you don't miss anything to interact with was immensely frustrating. This frustration was evident in the tutorial and in the very last chapter of the game and every single chapter in between. And heaven forbid if there was a crowd. There were some critical chapters at parties and clubs that were just immensely frustrating for me because I didn't immediately figure out the right place to go and spent 5-10 minutes bumping into people in a crowd hoping to find someone to talk to. This completely ruined the great surprises/plot advancement contained in those scenes.


Additional major issues, some spoilers(not about the ending/killer but some specifics):


1) The playground scene where the kid gets kidnapped - hated it. It should have been a major, touching, intense scene. Instead I was just annoyed the whole time, clumsily using my R2 mechanism that I hated to walk from ride to ride on the playground, dealing with 3 and 4 button combo mechanism just to generate 1 line of dialogue from the kid before you get to the carousel. Because of how clunky this plays out by the time it ends I'm just happy I don't have to deal with another 4-button combo to push my dumbass kid on a swing, instead of devastated that the poor father is dealing with another tragic event involving his children.


2) The cop, Blake, was ridiculous. You just can't put a character so unbelievably and ridiculously over the top in a game where the story is so important. I know it was supposed to help with the immersion and emotion when you're controlling the FBI Agent, the classic bad cop willing to ignore the law to get what he wants, but instead my feelings were: "oh come on, is he really willing to beat the shit out of a psychologist the *exact same way* he beat the shit out someone he thought was the killer? This is just dumb, didn't they put any thought into this? And again like the tedium of some of the other scenes, no matter how important a scene was, the disbelief in this character basically ruined every chapter he was in for me.


3) Super annoying plot holes, again, you have a story driven game, so some of the complete failures in dialogue/actions/scenery kicked me out of the story and killed the immersion. The PI wiping down fingerprints BY PICKING UP EVERY ITEM WITH HIS BARE HANDS, alzheimer's lady in the hospital wondering why they won't give her a TV in her room WHEN THERE IS A TV IN HER ROOM. Again, if I was more immersed in the game maybe I overlook this, but its a story driven game, the story is paramount, I'm not going to forgive the problems in the story like I would in other video games


Ok, done with spoilers. I think one of my biggest problems was that I played the game on the most difficult level so I got more difficult button mashing combos than I might have on easier levels. Here's the thing... I wanted that difficulty in intense fight scenes where you might live or die, loved it. It made me be hyperfocused on those intense scenes and was *great*. But they made cooking up some eggs or operating a swingset just as challenging as surviving an apartment fire on that difficulty level. If they had matched the importance of button mashing with the intensity and focus required for any given scene I would have enjoyed it a lot more, instead of wondering why every tedious task was just as difficult as... well any of the many scenes where it was clear that I might die if I fail.


I think for me this is a game that scratches the surface of what is possible and I look forward to others digging much, much deeper into that.

Definitely. I have my problems with the game but as I said originally even though I have a ton of issues with the game I am still glad I played it and hope to see this taken further.

[MikeVic]

I've only played the Heavy Rain demo, but the walking was so stupid that I won't be playing this game until it's really cheap or even then, I'm just not sure. Maybe I'd like to see someone play through it, but that's about it.

[DaddyTorgo]

If you missed the original, pick it up cheap and play it.

totally missed the original. it's cheap on Steam though.

graphics in 2 look even more amazing though hmm?

[PurdueBrad]

Ok, done with spoilers. I think one of my biggest problems was that I played the game on the most difficult level so I got more difficult button mashing combos than I might have on easier levels. Here's the thing... I wanted that difficulty in intense fight scenes where you might live or die, loved it. It made me be hyperfocused on those intense scenes and was *great*. But they made cooking up some eggs or operating a swingset just as challenging as surviving an apartment fire on that difficulty level. If they had matched the importance of button mashing with the intensity and focus required for any given scene I would have enjoyed it a lot more, instead of wondering why every tedious task was just as difficult as... well any of the many scenes where it was clear that I might die if I fail.




Definitely. I have my problems with the game but as I said originally even though I have a ton of issues with the game I am still glad I played it and hope to see this taken further.

I agree with a ton of your points, in your spoilers as well. But the main one I agree with is the one that is above. Simple tasks needed to be just that, simple, while the more challenging tasks really needed to be over the top intense and hard (which some were).

The plot holes, not going into any spoilers, were pretty bad. In addition, I thought the archetype characters (the bad cop, the prostitute with the heart of gold, the evil rich father, etc.) were well over-the-top. I would've appreciated more subtleties in those characters.

[RainMaker]

I guess my problem with Heavy Rain is the 8-10 hours. I have trouble justifying it against a $60 game like The Show or Battlefield that I'll play 10 times as much. The concept is cool but I think I'd be more down with games like that if they were $20.

[Radii]

I guess my problem with Heavy Rain is the 8-10 hours. I have trouble justifying it against a $60 game like The Show or Battlefield that I'll play 10 times as much. The concept is cool but I think I'd be more down with games like that if they were $20.

Yeah for sure. I actually signed up for Gamefly for this game. There are a number of other games I'm interested in checking out but would never purchase, this was the tipping point getting me to sign up though.

[gstelmack]

totally missed the original. it's cheap on Steam though.

graphics in 2 look even more amazing though hmm?

PC graphics hardware has advanced just a bit since the first one came out, so yeah :D

[Big Fo]

I'm trying to decide if I'm going to get Final Fantasy XIII next week.

Reviews are generally good (http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/finalfantasy13) although EDGE was quite harsh (http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/review-final-fantasy-xiii). The GameTrailers video review (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-hd-final-fantasy/62720) has me leaning toward a yes thanks in part to how good the game looks, plus the reviewer liked most other aspects of the game. And even the Edge reviewer liked the gameplay/battle system once it got past a certain point where the shackles were taken off the player, it just took far too long for that to happen according to them.

It's been awhile since I played a big budget, good looking, current generation RPG (Mass Effect doesn't count since I had to turn all the graphical settings down on my laptop to make the framerate playable). All the ones I've played since Fallout 3 have been DS, PS2, or SNES games, so I'll probably give FF13 a go.

Either the $10 gift card from Target or the 50% trade in bonus at Gamestop will ease the cost somewhat if I decide on getting it. Returning to what was discussed half a page or so back, something about many PS3 games costing $60 rather than $50 bugs me. Maybe it's because 50 is such a simple number, being half a hundred, and a $10 increase from what I was used to during the PS1-PS2 era (plus Wii and current PC games top out at $50 most of the time) seems like a bigger jump than it should in my head.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I'm trying to decide if I'm going to get Final Fantasy XIII next week.

Reviews are generally good (http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/finalfantasy13) although EDGE was quite harsh (http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/review-final-fantasy-xiii). The GameTrailers video review (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-hd-final-fantasy/62720) has me leaning toward a yes thanks in part to how good the game looks, plus the reviewer liked most other aspects of the game. And even the Edge reviewer liked the gameplay/battle system once it got past a certain point where the shackles were taken off the player, it just took far too long for that to happen according to them.

EDGE sort of enjoys being... edgey when it comes to reviewing highly anticipated games. They also gave "Dragon Age: Origins" a 5 in what was a very questionable review. I can't say the same here, never having played FF13.

[Big Fo]

EDGE sort of enjoys being... edgey when it comes to reviewing highly anticipated games. They also gave "Dragon Age: Origins" a 5 in what was a very questionable review. I can't say the same here, never having played FF13.

They do have a reputation for being harsh on occasion. I'd heard about DA:O getting a 5 but didn't read the review and haven't played the game, though from what I understand is that many people found it to be very good.

It was the text in the FF13 review that worries me more than the score, the complaints about the beginning of the game in particular.

It’s best to get the beginning out of the way: it’s a disaster of pacing that both bores and condescends to the player. There’s an excellently rendered cutscene to start off, and for the next two hours you’ll do little but run forward through walled-in environments and press a single button over and over to dismiss enemies. By the time you encounter anything approaching a challenge, FFXIII is stirring one emotion in particular: boredom.

The combat system is the culprit. Square Enix has constructed a masterpiece within the structure of turn-based battling, but the game is scared of you getting it wrong. While the system is complex, it’s not too hard to get to grips with the basics, but you won’t have access to the full capabilities of your party until around 20 hours in. It introduces every element at a crawling pace, and seems to think the only way players learn is through repetition – you’ll get a new tactic and then have to barrel through a series of identical enemies that are defeated by spamming it.

The rest of it was mostly positive, it's just that if the game does take that long to really get going I don't know if I'll even feel like playing long enough to get to the better parts of the game.

[RainMaker]

So 2K is no longer making a hockey game? Or taking a year off? This isn't good news although not surprising.

[Eaglesfan27]

So 2K is no longer making a hockey game? Or taking a year off? This isn't good news although not surprising.

Where do you see that? They do have NHL 2k10 out, it came out around the same time as NHL 10.

[Big Fo]

So 2K is no longer making a hockey game? Or taking a year off? This isn't good news although not surprising.

They are taking a year off on the PS3/360 versions in order to make some changes that couldn't be done with only a year of work. NHL2k11 will be released on for Wii, just not the other consoles.

kotaku.com link (http://kotaku.com/5485036/)

[Calis]

Ok, done with spoilers. I think one of my biggest problems was that I played the game on the most difficult level so I got more difficult button mashing combos than I might have on easier levels. Here's the thing... I wanted that difficulty in intense fight scenes where you might live or die, loved it. It made me be hyperfocused on those intense scenes and was *great*. But they made cooking up some eggs or operating a swingset just as challenging as surviving an apartment fire on that difficulty level. If they had matched the importance of button mashing with the intensity and focus required for any given scene I would have enjoyed it a lot more, instead of wondering why every tedious task was just as difficult as... well any of the many scenes where it was clear that I might die if I fail.




I finished up the game last weekend. After playing through it I see absolutely no reason not to play through on Easy. The added "difficulty" of playing on a harder difficulty level is stupid.

I'm a bit torn on the game in general as well. I had a really fun time playing it, mostly because I was so impressed with the concept and occasionally by a really well done scene that really nailed creating suspense and making you have no idea what was the correct move in that situation.

I enjoyed it as I played but after I finished and thought about it a bit, it really started to fall apart on me.

Spoilers ahoy-



With regards to Blake as a character. I agree. I think what they were trying for was the obvious good cop/bad cop theme, and also he was the misdirection as a character that was so blatantly the "bad" guy of the bunch that you actually couldn't believe he had anything to do with the murders. They definitely built up towards wanting you to think it was him when the hint drops that it is someone on the police force doing the killings.

They just went obscenely overboard with it, and while I think the scene with the religious fanatic suspect was one of the highlights of the game, the one with the doctor was way too much.

I actually didn't even think of the comment from the mother about the TV as weird, I just heard it and thought she was obviously completely out of it because there is a TV right there. I'm not sure that was unintentional.

I think the most obvious plotholes and the ones that REALLY bother me looking back it are pretty damn big. One being the scene where Scott murders the old clock guy. You are controlling him the entire time, and that's the one point in the game they pull the stunt of having your character do something you obviously didn't do, in the same scene. That one annoyed me quite a bit. Apart from that I had a problem with Scott as the culprit in general, because so much of his buildup doesn't make a bit of sense after knowing he is the killer. Sure, gathering up the evidence to destroy it makes sense but a lot of his inner dialogs and actions don't mesh up...unless he has multiple personalities or some such.

I also thought the shootout with the guards in the mansion was pretty lame. He'd up to that point been a pretty average guy, with asthma...who almost got his ass kicked, but he is an action movie star in that scene.

The other big thing was Ethan's blackouts and waking up with Origami in his hands. I would have liked to see some sort of explanation for this..I have to reach pretty far to try and justify this with what they gave me.

[Atocep]

They do have a reputation for being harsh on occasion. I'd heard about DA:O getting a 5 but didn't read the review and haven't played the game, though from what I understand is that many people found it to be very good.

It was the text in the FF13 review that worries me more than the score, the complaints about the beginning of the game in particular.



The rest of it was mostly positive, it's just that if the game does take that long to really get going I don't know if I'll even feel like playing long enough to get to the better parts of the game.

I heard Eurogamer was very harsh on the game in their preview, but I haven't read it myself.

IGN also posted a preview recently that praises combat, storytelling, and voice acting, but rips the game for how linear it is (they claim the first 25 hours or so are entirely linear) along with some other gripes (no cities, just mashing X for the first few hours of combat, no control over party for the first few hours as well). Of course they then recommend people on the fence go out and preorder the game. It was a strange preview and it's a good example of why I don't take reviews on FF games very seriously. I read it as a mostly negative review with some strong positives, they admit it's not one of the best in the FF series, and then go on to recommend it as a preorder. The fanboyism with this series and reviewers is like nothing else.

[rowech]

I know there are a lot of games coming out that I would like to buy and I know my wife is going to hate me monopolizing the TV. So, I'm wondering, is there a cheap monitor type display that I could buy to hook up my 360 and PS3 into? I don't want to pay for an HDTV really...more like a widescreen computer monitor. Just not sure if they make something that would be able to handle the PS3, 360, and still produce sound out of it.

[sterlingice]

I heard Eurogamer was very harsh on the game in their preview, but I haven't read it myself.

IGN also posted a preview recently that praises combat, storytelling, and voice acting, but rips the game for how linear it is (they claim the first 25 hours or so are entirely linear) along with some other gripes (no cities, just mashing X for the first few hours of combat, no control over party for the first few hours as well). Of course they then recommend people on the fence go out and preorder the game. It was a strange preview and it's a good example of why I don't take reviews on FF games very seriously. I read it as a mostly negative review with some strong positives, they admit it's not one of the best in the FF series, and then go on to recommend it as a preorder. The fanboyism with this series and reviewers is like nothing else.

I, for one, like linear RPGs but that's not really the American norm any more. Everyone seems to want wide open games which, for me, seems like a license for devs to claim they put in 100+ hours of gameplay which again, to me, feels like mind numbing mini games and crap which take away from a strong central story.

SI

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I, for one, like linear RPGs but that's not really the American norm any more. Everyone seems to want wide open games which, for me, seems like a license for devs to claim they put in 100+ hours of gameplay which again, to me, feels like mind numbing mini games and crap which take away from a strong central story.

SI

+1

I was thrilled to see that it's more linear. Open world games end up with far too much time wasted wandering around the open world looking for the kick-off point of the next part of what they could have just made linear in the first place. Give me a linear game with a good experience any day over aimless wandering.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I, for one, like linear RPGs but that's not really the American norm any more. Everyone seems to want wide open games which, for me, seems like a license for devs to claim they put in 100+ hours of gameplay which again, to me, feels like mind numbing mini games and crap which take away from a strong central story.

SI

I agree. So long as the central story is interesting and engaging, I don't mind games that are linear. Sure, I like the ability to explore the world and do side missions and get involved in things, but I've been very happy with games like Fallout 3, Dragon's Age, Mass Effect 1/2, etc.

[sterlingice]

I agree. So long as the central story is interesting and engaging, I don't mind games that are linear. Sure, I like the ability to explore the world and do side missions and get involved in things, but I've been very happy with games like Fallout 3, Dragon's Age, Mass Effect 1/2, etc.

To me, Fallout 3 even suffered a bit from this (I haven't even played the other games) but was good for what I've seen described as an "American-style RPG". I felt like there were about 20-30 hours of actual plot, which is pretty good these days but I dumped about 100 hours into it, hoping to find more, and the side stuff was just that, "side stuff". It wasn't all that satisfying when you go in, spend 2 hours clearing out a building or part of town, just to get a few assorted goodies. Give me some sort of broader plot advancement for every item like that- make the world really interconnected.

SI

[Calis]

To me, Fallout 3 even suffered a bit from this (I haven't even played the other games) but was good for what I've seen described as an "American-style RPG". I felt like there were about 20-30 hours of actual plot, which is pretty good these days but I dumped about 100 hours into it, hoping to find more, and the side stuff was just that, "side stuff". It wasn't all that satisfying when you go in, spend 2 hours clearing out a building or part of town, just to get a few assorted goodies. Give me some sort of broader plot advancement for every item like that- make the world really interconnected.

SI

Hmm, see I like both JRPG style games and Western style, but I think it is being overstated how linearity equates to depth of story. JRPGs in the bast most definitely added dozens and dozens of hours of tedious random encounters and in some cases grinding. If I'm being forced into a rather menial series of combats I'd at least like some exploration or something to encourage me. Different sorts of gamers I guess. It isn't like JRPGs are in general finally tuned and paced narratives. It is a slog to get to the good parts.

JRPGs are more focused in the narrative because there is usually little or no player influence. You either die or move the story forward, not much in the way of branches to worry about, unlike something like Dragon Age. This is good and bad.

In general though I think both styles definitely suffer from this need to be epically long. This interested me ten years ago, but lately I'm much preferring a tighter focused story that doesn't take a year to complete.

One thing both do for completely different reasons that I despise is the silent protagonist. It is not more "immersive" to play a statue. Sometimes options aren't better than being focused.

[Tasan]

I know there are a lot of games coming out that I would like to buy and I know my wife is going to hate me monopolizing the TV. So, I'm wondering, is there a cheap monitor type display that I could buy to hook up my 360 and PS3 into? I don't want to pay for an HDTV really...more like a widescreen computer monitor. Just not sure if they make something that would be able to handle the PS3, 360, and still produce sound out of it.


Something like this?

Newegg.com - ASUS VE246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 50000 :1 (ASCR) Built-in Speakers - LCD Monitors (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236082)

or

Newegg.com - Acer G245Hbmid Black 24" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 80000:1 Max (ACM) Built-in Speakers - LCD Monitors (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009208)

Not sure about audio though. Do the PS3 and 360 have a headphone out audio connector?

*edit Actually, you could get an RCA Red/White to headphone jack adapter and make that work. So yes, these should do just fine for you.

[Scoobz0202]

No. I bought adapters to use my pc speakers if I use my pc monitor.

You can buy Turtle Beach's that have the headphones w/ mic.

edit: I am speaking for xbox. Dont know if the ps3 has a headphone jack

[SportsDino]

In regards to 'epic length' of games... if a game doesn't deliver a large amount of play time it is almost universally bashed out in the community. No one wants to spend $50-60 (or even 30) on something less than 20 hours.

[Fidatelo]

In regards to 'epic length' of games... if a game doesn't deliver a large amount of play time it is almost universally bashed out in the community. No one wants to spend $50-60 (or even 30) on something less than 20 hours.

I do. I dream of short games with linear stories that I can theoretically aspire to actually finishing. I hate exploring, with the exception of in GTA where 'exploring' is just a bi-product of all the wanton destruction.

[DeToxRox]

So is FF13 in the MGS4 cut scene department? I found MGS4 to be awesome but I know some were turned off by all of the cuts. I figure FF13 will be as cut heavy if not more so which makes me wonder how much people will complain about it.

I do agree linear stories are good if done right. Resident Evil 5 was a blast though it was different then it's predecessors. I wish it had been more openish like 4 was but it was still very good.

On the flipside I didn't think Fallout was too open ended, mainly because you could whip through the main story fairly quick. Me personally though, I enjoyed discovering all the little nuances of the game but I can see how some people can find it to be a waste of time.

[Izulde]

It's a good thing I don't have my PS3 here or I'd get FFXIII at midnight release and not get anything done the rest of the semester.

I do know what I'm going to be doing all Spring Break in WI though. :D

[Calis]

I do. I dream of short games with linear stories that I can theoretically aspire to actually finishing. I hate exploring, with the exception of in GTA where 'exploring' is just a bi-product of all the wanton destruction.

I do as well. I don't have the time to devote to games that I used to but I still follow the scene closely and like to try them out. Where ten years ago id have scoffed at a less than ten hour game, now I become annoyed with obvious filler and end up shelving the game.

I do love exploring though, but I think newer GTA games aren't good for it. I think of games like the Gothic series where I had a blast wandering the countryside and seeing what they had tucked away off the main path, or a game like Crackdown and searching for agility Orbs. GTA has taken the sense of discovery out of the game in exchange for a more "realistic" setting.

I think with exploring it depends on how much the developers fleshed out the areas or how much they just plopped more terrain in.

[JonInMiddleGA]

To me, Fallout 3 even suffered a bit from this (I haven't even played the other games) but was good for what I've seen described as an "American-style RPG". I felt like there were about 20-30 hours of actual plot, which is pretty good these days but I dumped about 100 hours into it, hoping to find more, and the side stuff was just that, "side stuff".

Definitely count me in that "opposite crowd".

I have little interest in the main storyline of most games (still haven't bothered to complete Oblivion's main story in spite of being something like 125 hours in, still have additional sidequests & at least one full DLC - Shivering Isles - still to go), the more open the world & the more time I can spend the better afaic.

[DaddyTorgo]

Oblivion is fun like that, I agree with you Jon.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oblivion is fun like that, I agree with you Jon.

I think it does create a bit of a downside for me as far as enjoying other games goes though.

I mean, it was Fallout 3 that put me back on a console for anything other than a sports game for the first time in years (I'm thinking as far back as stuff like Romance of the Three Kingdoms on Genesis). And after it I picked up on Oblivion. Given that, it's pretty tough for me to come away satisfied with most other games that aren't similarly broad (bordering on epic) in scale.

In the same way, the "event points" (or whatever that style is properly called) in F3 really ruined me for games that respawn completely predictably (my big gripe with Borderlands aside from some of the bugs).
Knowing that there are certain places where you may encounter some spawned enemy but not knowing what it will be nor if it will happen on that particular pass really feels like an entirely different experience to me.

[RainMaker]

I'm with Jon. I'm not really in it for the storyline, I'm in it to fuck around as much as I can. Experience points and stuff are more important to me than a storyline. I like building up a character over time and doing what I want.

[Calis]

Oblivion is also definitely a game where the world is focused on before the story. They're tacking a main story on, not throwing open world elements on a story. The main plot for Oblivion is terrible imo. Fallout 3 was better, but still poor in that respect.

I enjoy a good focused plot, but I realize the game moments that I remember years later and really enjoy are the emergent narratives that arise through play. I'm thinking of games like Dwarf Fortress orDarklands and X-Com to go further back. I enjoy having the story be my own.

[SportsDino]

I don't advocate that games should be a certain way, I'm more flexible, just putting out that I noticed that every short duration game has been panned harshly. Personally, I love any game as long as it is well done, I love Dragon Age, I love Fallout 3, I love Oblivion, all for different reasons.

I think there is some value in short games certainly, but that is not the trend because of the feedback and market the studios are seeing is generally pushing 'hours of gameplay' as a key metric.

I'd like to see more short but highly variable games. A playthrough might be even as low as 5 hours, but you get at least 4 to 5 highly divergent paths, and maybe a lot of little micropaths along the way. Its a hard sell though, replaying a game is hard since most people expect it to be a rehash for the most part, I'd like to see a game really break that expectation and be massively different the second time through.

[DaddyTorgo]

if i'm paying 50 or 60 dollars for something it ought to have some good replayability

[JonInMiddleGA]

if i'm paying 50 or 60 dollars for something it ought to have some good replayability

Or some serious first-run playability.

[Honolulu_Blue]

if i'm paying 50 or 60 dollars for something it ought to have some good replayability

I think that depends on how good the initial experience was. While I got "Fallout 3" for like $20, since I bought it a year late, I would have definitely felt like I got my $50-60 worth after one play through.

Same goes for "Dragon's Age." I've only played it once, for just over 80 hours, and totally feel like I got my money's worth.

I am not sure what the replayability of either game is for me. As much as I enjoyed those games, I am not sure if I will ever go back and play them, in their entirety again. I just have too many other games to play.

[RainMaker]

I'm kind of surprised we don't see more variable pricing in video games. Every new game comes out at around $60 (unless a store is discounting it). I think it would make a more interesting marketplace if some games came out for much less and even some for more.

[gstelmack]

I'm kind of surprised we don't see more variable pricing in video games. Every new game comes out at around $60 (unless a store is discounting it). I think it would make a more interesting marketplace if some games came out for much less and even some for more.

Well, special editions push prices much farther up on both consoles and PCs. Consoles rarely have much downswing thanks to the console maker taking a cut, but PC prices vary widely depending on the game and quality.

But when it costs $25million on up for the major games everyone is talking about, don't expect the price to come down much from $60.

[SportsDino]

I'd like to see more variable pricing, it happens much more often in computer games than console (for obvious reasons).

I wouldn't mind paying $100 for a really top notch epic game (say Fallout 3 if it had a high quality storyline/characters on top of a slightly more massive world). I wouldn't mind paying $20 per episode of a long series (say a Dragon Age esque game, but they release a new section of world map every 6 months for about 2 years, on top of the 50-60 base game).

I think with the growth of Steam we'll probably see more creative pricing schemes in the future, at least in the computer market. Hopefully that will ripple back to the consoles which are getting increasingly better networks.

-----

For instance, in my own game-making ambitions I'm really keen on play as you go massively multiplayer, and the base + episodes model. Most of my investments in a project come up front, but additional use of the more fixed assets (like an engine or gameplay interface) is relatively easy... as in content is cheap and can be farmed out. Also in-game microtransactions seem promising as well (if people are auctioning WoW gold on eBay, why not just corner the market in the game itself and take a cut?).

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I think with the growth of Steam we'll probably see more creative pricing schemes in the future, at least in the computer market. Hopefully that will ripple back to the consoles which are getting increasingly better networks.

With two kids under the age of three currently in my home, I'm opting right now for the 'wait a few months until a game drops to half its release price since I don't have time to play it now anyway' pricing scheme or the 'look at the Under $5 tab on Steam exclusively' pricing scheme. :)

[terpkristin]

I picked up my copy of Final Fantasy XIII today. I wish that work this week wasn't so nuts, it'd be a perfect time to come down with a cold/flu. Of course, this weekend looks like rain, YAY!!!

/tk

[SportsDino]

I'm a big fan of the wait for the games to go half price (or used), and I'm sure its some component of the industry strategy anyway (collect premiums from the gotta have it crowd, then liquidate inventory down the stretch at half price which is still profitable).

Still, never hurts to play with distribution strategies, never hurts to become the next iTunes, Amazon, Steam, etc...

Overall, Steam I think is a wild success, particularly compared to the arms race of copy protection. (Search youtube for interviews with Gabe Newell for example)

[sterlingice]

Half price? Rookies ;)

Rare is the game I pay more than $20 for and many under $10 or even $5 :D

But I suppose that's why I have cheapassgamer bookmarked

SI

[DataKing]

Decisions, decisions. Do I pick up Final Fantasy on my way home from work tonight, or wait? I've been looking for a good RPG lately to complete my personal "holy trinity"; 1 racing/action game (Forza 3), 1 Shooter (Borderlands), and 1 RPG (currently vacant). Haven't touched the Final Fantasy series since X-2, so I'm not sure what direction it's taken.

[Izulde]

Decisions, decisions. Do I pick up Final Fantasy on my way home from work tonight, or wait? I've been looking for a good RPG lately to complete my personal "holy trinity"; 1 racing/action game (Forza 3), 1 Shooter (Borderlands), and 1 RPG (currently vacant). Haven't touched the Final Fantasy series since X-2, so I'm not sure what direction it's taken.

I thought XII was one of the weaker iterations in the series, although I did enjoy Fran. For me it still goes:

1. Tactics
2. VI
3. IV
4. X
5. VIII
6. I
7. VII
8. V
9. XII
10. IX
11. II
12. XI (MMORPG, but still)
13. III

Edit: Forgot IX and I haven't played X-2 yet.

I and VIII could flip-flop depending on how nostalgic I'm feeling, but OTOH, a lot of people say I remind them of Squall, so who knows?

[terpkristin]

Decisions, decisions. Do I pick up Final Fantasy on my way home from work tonight, or wait? I've been looking for a good RPG lately to complete my personal "holy trinity"; 1 racing/action game (Forza 3), 1 Shooter (Borderlands), and 1 RPG (currently vacant). Haven't touched the Final Fantasy series since X-2, so I'm not sure what direction it's taken.

By most accounts, this one doesn't get good til about 1/3 through. I picked it up at lunch but don't plan on starting it til tomorrow or maybe not even the weekend, too much going on my weeknights this week and not enough time to sit down and really get into it.

/tk

[terpkristin]

I thought XII was one of the weaker iterations in the series, although I did enjoy Fran. For me it still goes:

1. Tactics
2. VI
3. IV
4. X
5. VIII
6. I
7. VII
8. V
9. XII
10. IX
11. II
12. XI (MMORPG, but still)
13. III

Edit: Forgot IX and I haven't played X-2 yet.

I and VIII could flip-flop depending on how nostalgic I'm feeling, but OTOH, a lot of people say I remind them of Squall, so who knows?

Heh, your list and mine look very similar. But VI is my favorite all-time. And I never played XI.

/tk

[MJ4H]

Rock Band 3 Set For Holiday 2010

March 9, 2010 at 11:59 PST – Source: Harmonix (http://www.facebook.com/RockBand?v=feed&story_fbid=370265553216)
The details are scarce, but prepare to bring the Rock this holiday season.

<script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-0364116852758733"; /* 300x250, created 12/2/08 */ google_ad_slot = "8844788650"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script>
Today Harmonix stated on their Facebook account that EA would be distributing Rock Band 3 this holiday season.
Although they didn't give many details, they did state that the game will "innovate and revolutionize the music genre once again, just as Harmonix did with the original Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and The Beatles: Rock Band."
No platform was mentioned, but since all three Rock Band titles as well as Lego Rock Band have come to Wii and found success on the platform, it can be safely assumed that Rock Band 3 will also be arriving on Nintendo's console.


Nintendo World Report - News Article: Rock Band 3 Set For Holiday 2010 (http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=22719)

[Big Fo]

FF13 is just a strange game so far (done quite a bit of Chapter 3). It seems complicated in the sense that the battles move very quickly and there are many spells/attacks/configurations and yet I think a monkey could be trained to win most of the battles my party has fought to this point.

I am enjoying it so far, especially on the small handful of battles I've felt I could come close to losing, and I have gotten one Game Over when I was greedy and pushed my luck. However there doesn't seem to be much of a disincentive for dying, there are plenty of save points and you don't even need those since the game just asks if you want to start the battle over if the party leader dies. It kind of kills any tension there might be. I prefer something like in the Dragon Quest games where when the party is wiped out you lose half your gold and have to travel back through the whole dungeon again to get to the boss, poor play is actually punished. In this game it's like "well we're all dead, who gives a damn." You even get back any items used during a battle you go on to lose.

On the plus side the graphics are amazing, I like the music (the battle theme is particularly catchy), despite my previously mentioned complaints I do enjoy the battles, the storyline seems decent enough so far, and I don't hate most of the characters.

[mckerney]

This game is one of my very few day-1 purchases, so I may skip the demo entirely given the game is right around the corner. The first one really focused on the fun factor and I had a blast with it.

GoGamer 48 hour sale has Just Cause 2 preorder on sale for $37.90.

All PC Games - Just Cause 2 for PC (http://www.gogamer.com/Just-Cause-2-for-PC-All-PC-Games_stcVVproductId98204226VVcatId444774VVviewprod.htm)

[DaddyTorgo]

GoGamer 48 hour sale has Just Cause 2 preorder on sale for $37.90.

All PC Games - Just Cause 2 for PC (http://www.gogamer.com/Just-Cause-2-for-PC-All-PC-Games_stcVVproductId98204226VVcatId444774VVviewprod.htm)

good deal

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

God. Of. War.

Mmmmmmmmmm.

[Ramzavail]

I thought XII was one of the weaker iterations in the series, although I did enjoy Fran. For me it still goes:

1. Tactics
2. VI
3. IV
4. X
5. VIII
6. I
7. VII
8. V
9. XII
10. IX
11. II
12. XI (MMORPG, but still)
13. III

Edit: Forgot IX and I haven't played X-2 yet.

I and VIII could flip-flop depending on how nostalgic I'm feeling, but OTOH, a lot of people say I remind them of Squall, so who knows?

Heh, you remind people of Squall?

[MJ4H]

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[CleBrownsfan]

God. Of. War.

Mmmmmmmmmm.

I just bought it but wont be able to play it for a few hours... any have any impressions yet? Can't wait to start kicking some ass

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I just bought it but wont be able to play it for a few hours... any have any impressions yet? Can't wait to start kicking some ass

Hoping to run out to get it later tonight. Babysitting the young ones right now.

[rowech]

I just played an hour or so with God of War. I've only played the PSP game of it, having never played the previous two console version. I guess it's cool. Seems fairly random right now. I'm hoping I'm not going to need all the story pieces from the first two games to make sense of all that happens.

[rowech]

I picked up Far Cry 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 for the PS3 on both. Had to use my store credit to the Gamecrazy that was closing and those are the games I went with. I really know nothing about either other than I've heard of them. Debated Fallout 3 but worried I would get bored with it. Also debated Killzone 2 but thought it might be kinda blah.

[JonInMiddleGA]

oxmonline.com should have the same video as the one my son just watched on XB Live, first time I've seen more details on L4D2 DLC "The Passing'.

There'll also be companion DLC released for L4D that explains how those survivors ended up down South.

[stevew]

Bored with fallout 3? I think that is impossible.

In fact it is inconceivable.

[Greyroofoo]

So anyone has tried command & conquer 4 yet? I was thinking of getting it but was scared off by mediocre reviews.

[Greyroofoo]

I'm probably one of the few that was rather indifferent about the first starcraft

[JonInMiddleGA]

Debated Fallout 3 but worried I would get bored with it.

Needless worry IMO unless you're a player who is very strictly main storyline oriented. Even then it's not a bad experience, just not the whole experience.

I'd say the DLC was a mixed bag but overall still an excellent gaming choice.

[Izulde]

Heh, you remind people of Squall?

Evidently... I've had 3 or 4 people tell me that.

[RainMaker]

I don't think I've ever been bogged down by so many games before. Usually I'm waiting for a release but now I'm almost happy when they get pushed back (like Red Dead Redemption).

I've got these games still to play/finish:

Bioshock 2
Bad Company 2
God of War
Heavy Rain
The Show
Just Cause 2

Then of course we have Crackdown 2 and Red Dead Redemption coming at some point. I also want to play Mass Effect 2 but want to do the first game (at $19.99 it's a bargain) before.

I'm glad I'm not married.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm getting close to beating Mass Effect 2 (I think.) Any more thoughts on FF XIII? I'm debating on making that my next RPG.

[SackAttack]

So anyone has tried command & conquer 4 yet? I was thinking of getting it but was scared off by mediocre reviews.

EA sent me a reviewable, but I'm not sure it'll run on my computer. Does that count?

[Big Fo]

Yeah, there are lots of games that I want to play that have been/will be released in March. I'm alternating between FF XIII and the Show right now (with a little FM mixed in) and those are taking up enough time that I'll be putting off a few others like Infinite Space and Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. RPGs are so long and I don't like switching between games of the same genre so I'll just pick the two DS games up later, maybe they won't be full price anymore either. And I've already pre-ordered OOTP 11 so that will be coming in April or May iirc.

Any more thoughts on FF XIII? I'm debating on making that my next RPG.

I'm close to 20 hours into it, some of the complaints I had on the battle system no longer apply due to the difficulty picking up, I'm having to do a lot of paradigm switching to avoid dying.

The rest of what I posted earlier still applies. The game has great graphics, great music, and a decent story/characters. There's very little exploring or anything so far, the game is basically:

walk forward down narrow hallway
battle
walk forward down narrow hallway
battle
walk forward down narrow hallway
battle
cutscene
stop to distribute skill points, buy/sell items, and/or upgrade equipment
walk forward down narrow hallway
battle
walk forward down narrow hallway
battle
walk forward down narrow hallway
battle
cutscene

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

EA sent me a reviewable, but I'm not sure it'll run on my computer. Does that count?

Hated that. Nothing worse than getting a review copy that you had to send to someone else to review.

[SackAttack]

"have to" is really the wrong word. I do anyway.

It's just a digital delivery thing, so I'm not sure if that's going to adversely affect the guy I'm assigning it to. I gotta find out if I can just give him the link and let him do the rest on his own, or if it's tied specifically to my email address.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Amusing BF2: Bad Company ad..........

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[DataKing]

Ok that was pretty funny.

[MikeVic]

That was good.

[Big Fo]

Sony does some quality trolling in their new ad for Playstation Move, it's actually pretty funny. Wii, Natal, and even the Kansas City Royals get burned. I wouldn't mind if the old days where the console manufacturers ripped on each other in commercials came back, "Genesis does what Nintendon't" etc.

That said as of now I'm not particularly interested in the hardware and games I know of that will use it.

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[rjolley]

Ok, I really like the PlayStation commercials with Butler. Excellent job so far. I might've been swayed to buy a PS3 if he was pitching the system earlier...

Ok, not really.

[Cringer]

Evidently... I've had 3 or 4 people tell me that.

I can't even think of one person I know who would know who Squall is, much less say someone looks like him. Although, it may come down to the fact that I just don't really know anyone.

[sterlingice]

Just watched that ad above and, yeah, that campaign is great.

SI

[Calis]

Evidently... I've had 3 or 4 people tell me that.

My mind is boggled with this, we need more clarification. Do people say you look like him or you act like him?

I can't imagine someone being comparable to a FF protagonist character personality-wise.

Now I have been told I have a laugh reminiscent of Kefka...

[TroyF]

Fun commercial and one they should have ran a long, long time ago. If they hadn't been so pigheaded and egotistical, they wouldn't be third in worldwide sales for the PS3.

Nintendo has the trump card on this one though. All they have to do is run some ads quoting Sony execs making fun of the Wii and the motion controller. Then show the sales numbers. Then have a good, hearty laugh and fade to black.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Sony really did appear to bungle the launch of the PS3. It got out of the gates very, very slowly, but it appears to be picking up steam of late (no idea on the actual numbers), but a lot of the console games that have generating buzz of late, "Uncharted 2", "Heavy Rain", "Demon's Souls", that MLB; The Show game, have been PS3 exclusives.

Perhaps this is all just based on my own perception, since until several months ago I didn't know anyone who owned a PS3.

[gstelmack]

It got out of the gates very, very slowly, but it appears to be picking up steam of late

Well, the 360 "won" February, even outpacing the Wii, so the big thing here is actually that the Wii lost some steam.

March numbers should be interesting with some of the PS3 releases.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Well, the 360 "won" February, even outpacing the Wii, so the big thing here is actually that the Wii lost some steam.

March numbers should be interesting with some of the PS3 releases.

Should be noted that you're speaking strictly about U.S. numbers. The worldwide console sales numbers are a different story.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

dola

Does anyone have both MW2 and Battlefield: BC2? I've seen a lot of comments that Battlefield is the preferred game for online play. MW2 reportedly still has a lot of people exploiting some holes in the game.

Just thought I'd see if anyone had some feedback. Thanks in advance.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Yeah, there are lots of games that I want to play that have been/will be released in March. I'm alternating between FF XIII and the Show right now (with a little FM mixed in) and those are taking up enough time that I'll be putting off a few others like Infinite Space and Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. RPGs are so long and I don't like switching between games of the same genre so I'll just pick the two DS games up later, maybe they won't be full price anymore either. And I've already pre-ordered OOTP 11 so that will be coming in April or May iirc.



I'm close to 20 hours into it, some of the complaints I had on the battle system no longer apply due to the difficulty picking up, I'm having to do a lot of paradigm switching to avoid dying.

The rest of what I posted earlier still applies. The game has great graphics, great music, and a decent story/characters. There's very little exploring or anything so far, the game is basically:

walk forward down narrow hallway
battle
walk forward down narrow hallway
battle
walk forward down narrow hallway
battle
cutscene
stop to distribute skill points, buy/sell items, and/or upgrade equipment
walk forward down narrow hallway
battle
walk forward down narrow hallway
battle
walk forward down narrow hallway
battle
cutscene

I'm only about 4 hours into the game, but I have several friends who are very deep into the game, and a pair who have finished it. They say once you finish Chapter 11 (I think), the game opens up away from the extremely linear story that you've been following for the first 10 or so chapters. I even have a friend who HATES linear RPGs, and he is in love with XIII.

The game is simply beautiful, and the voice acting is top notch. The battle system seems a little frenzied, and extremely easy, but I've been told that the difficulty DEFINITELY ramps up the further into the game that you get. I'm really enjoying it, and it's still basically tutorial mode three chapters in. Can't wait to get more familiar with the leveling system and the combat and Paradigm Shift systems.

[Honolulu_Blue]

dola

Does anyone have both MW2 and Battlefield: BC2? I've seen a lot of comments that Battlefield is the preferred game for online play. MW2 reportedly still has a lot of people exploiting some holes in the game.

Just thought I'd see if anyone had some feedback. Thanks in advance.

I have a good friend who has both. His exact quote from an email on this topic: "I'm also enjoying Battlefield: Bad Company 2 immensely, much more than the twitch adolescent shooter Modern Warfare 2."

[Big Fo]

I'm only about 4 hours into the game, but I have several friends who are very deep into the game, and a pair who have finished it. They say once you finish Chapter 11 (I think), the game opens up away from the extremely linear story that you've been following for the first 10 or so chapters. I even have a friend who HATES linear RPGs, and he is in love with XIII.

The game is simply beautiful, and the voice acting is top notch. The battle system seems a little frenzied, and extremely easy, but I've been told that the difficulty DEFINITELY ramps up the further into the game that you get. I'm really enjoying it, and it's still basically tutorial mode three chapters in. Can't wait to get more familiar with the leveling system and the combat and Paradigm Shift systems.

Cool, I'm only a chapter or two away from the game opening up then. And the battles do get a lot more interesting, all of the roles are useful in certain situations. Earlier it almost felt like I was wasting crystarium (sp?) points in the sentinel category (and synergist/saboteur to a lesser extent) but some of those skills are invaluable against the tougher enemies.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I have a good friend who has both. His exact quote from an email on this topic: "I'm also enjoying Battlefield: Bad Company 2 immensely, much more than the twitch adolescent shooter Modern Warfare 2."

Yeah, that's similar to what I've been hearing. I'm surprised how quickly MW2 has fallen off the radar of a lot of the gamers looking for a more even gameplay experience. Seems that MW2 has far too many people exploiting loopholes in gameplay.

[Cringer]

dola

Does anyone have both MW2 and Battlefield: BC2? I've seen a lot of comments that Battlefield is the preferred game for online play. MW2 reportedly still has a lot of people exploiting some holes in the game.

Just thought I'd see if anyone had some feedback. Thanks in advance.

I have both. Honestly I have given BC2 two chances at online game play and went back to MW2. I will give it another shot, but my experiences with BC2 so far have not been good. I can deal with the cheese tactics in MW2 (commando/lightweight/marathon set up with double shotguns), I am still unsure I like BC2 and how it does things. The games seemed cool, but when I was on (middle of the night) hardly anyone was playing it seemed (they are playing on MW2 at that time). Also, the non-stop helicopters annoyed me, especially when every match seemed like it was only 5v5 at best. I am used to Ground War in MW2 and WaW, I like more guys.

The solo campaign is very fun though, so I am finishing that still. Played it some yesterday, then I got in some MW2 online play. Still it will get a few more chances before I finish single player, and then if I haven't started to get into it by then I will trade it in while keeping MW2.

edit: And I like bigs maps usually, but when it seems like you spend half the game running back towards the action because you spawn so far away is a pain in the ass.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Sounds like the console shortage isn't going to be fixed anytime soon. Gamestop exec on yesterday's conference call said that they could be selling far more PS3's and Wii's than they are currently due to the shortage of both consoles. He also said that he doesn't expect the supply for those two consoles to catch up with demand for another 3-4 months.

[mckerney]

I have a good friend who has both. His exact quote from an email on this topic: "I'm also enjoying Battlefield: Bad Company 2 immensely, much more than the twitch adolescent shooter Modern Warfare 2."

I've been playing a lot of Bad Company 2 lately and only play Modern Warfare 2 when my friends want to play with them. I mostly play 16v16 Rush games and find the team based play and using vehicles in Bad Company a lot more than the twitch shooting/killstreak play of MW2.

[stevew]

I'm hopelessly addicted to MW2. I wish they would ban all the boosters. I also wish you could set criteria for matches(no marathon/lightweight/commando combo for instance).

I also don't like it when it is Russians vs US. The uniforms are too similar. Hopefully DLC comes soon

I will say there is nothing better than realizing someone is trying to nuke boost. Then throwing sitrep on and busting the bitches up. I don't usually talk on my Bluetooth but I talk mad shit when that happens.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Being a free-for-all MW2 player I must avoid most of this crap. Once in a while I see some of the cheesier stuff (almost always whenever I run into games with players carrying the same clan tag) but on the whole if I can be competitive as badly as I suck then FFA must not be too crapped over.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Sounds like the console shortage isn't going to be fixed anytime soon. Gamestop exec on yesterday's conference call said that they could be selling far more PS3's and Wii's than they are currently due to the shortage of both consoles. He also said that he doesn't expect the supply for those two consoles to catch up with demand for another 3-4 months.

Really? I don't remember the last time I went into a store that sold video games (and I actually kill time in places like that a few times a month) and they had a shortage of ANY of the systems. Probably anecdotal evidence, since I am not there LOOKING for a system, but I tend to notice empty shelves.

[Cringer]

I've been playing a lot of Bad Company 2 lately and only play Modern Warfare 2 when my friends want to play with them. I mostly play 16v16 Rush games and find the team based play and using vehicles in Bad Company a lot more than the twitch shooting/killstreak play of MW2.

16v16? See if I can get into some of those matches I may enjoy it much more. I will keep giving it a try.

[Eaglesfan27]

Really? I don't remember the last time I went into a store that sold video games (and I actually kill time in places like that a few times a month) and they had a shortage of ANY of the systems. Probably anecdotal evidence, since I am not there LOOKING for a system, but I tend to notice empty shelves.


Agreed. My local gamestops and bestbuys have plenty of all 3 systems now. I've seen no shortage since before the holidays.

[TroyF]

I've been in video game stores quite a bit in the last 2 months. (The Show, God of War, Bioshock 2, $100 gamespot gift card for my birthday I put on used stuff and accessories, etc)

I've seen vast quantities of all three systems no matter where I've gone. I was at Wal-Mart the other day and saw all three systems for sale.

I've heard these rumors of shortages, but I certainly haven't seen any myself. If it is true and there are shortages of the PS3, Sony's "comeback from stupidity" has been short lived.

This month has been on their calendar for well over a year. God of War, The Show, FF13. . . you simply cannot have a shortage this month. Your number 3 in the US (9.5 million units behind the 360 at #2). You are number 2 in Japan with less than half of the Wii. You are number 3 in the rest of the world, close to dead even with the 360 headed into this month. This is the month you can not only make up some ground, but also gain momentum. And you have a shortage?

Either it's excuses for below expected sales or they are morons. Or both.

[rowech]

God of War III is bloody. Not sure if it's much more than the other games in the series as I haven't played those but wow on this one. Throw in a sex scene and I know I'd be upset if a kid under 14 was playing this game. (yes, I know there are millions that are)

[MizzouRah]

God of War III is bloody. Not sure if it's much more than the other games in the series as I haven't played those but wow on this one. Throw in a sex scene and I know I'd be upset if a kid under 14 was playing this game. (yes, I know there are millions that are)

You whore.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Agreed. My local gamestops and bestbuys have plenty of all 3 systems now. I've seen no shortage since before the holidays.

Last week or so when I was in the market for a new 360 our local Gamestops were out of stock on refurbs & had 1 new left between the two stores. Local Play N' Trade had no 360's in stock.

Best I figure tell it's kind of hit & miss depending upon your market, the store(s) you check, and what day of the week you try in relationship to their delivery day(s).

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Really? I don't remember the last time I went into a store that sold video games (and I actually kill time in places like that a few times a month) and they had a shortage of ANY of the systems. Probably anecdotal evidence, since I am not there LOOKING for a system, but I tend to notice empty shelves.

You're correct at some level. Supply seems to vary wildly based on location. There's some places where there's ample supply and other places where you're better off just searching online than even bothering to go to the store.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

BTW......here's the info from the Gamestop exec in an article if you were curious.

The Escapist : News : GameStop: Wii, PS3 Shortages to Continue For Months (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99260-GameStop-Wii-PS3-Shortages-to-Continue-For-Months)

[rowech]

Does 360 have the same shortage? I've been debating trading mine in. Have two controllers, a charger, two guitars, FIFA, and NHL. Is there any real chance of me getting a decent amount of trade-in value?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Does 360 have the same shortage? I've been debating trading mine in. Have two controllers, a charger, two guitars, FIFA, and NHL. Is there any real chance of me getting a decent amount of trade-in value?

No, plenty of 360's available. They're actually expecting a slow down in sales in the next few months on the 360 with a rumored slim model possibly on the way.

[Eaglesfan27]

No, plenty of 360's available. They're actually expecting a slow down in sales in the next few months on the 360 with a rumored slim model possibly on the way.

See Jon's post above about a 360 shortage in his area. As you said, it depends upon the market/location, etc.

[rowech]

Just finished God of War III. Very slow to start out with but really enjoyed it. Ending was all kinds of crazy.

[MJ4H]

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/media/20705/1/4.jpg
He's on fire!

[Honolulu_Blue]

I am about 30 hours into "Mass Effect 2" at the moment, which is already 5 hours more than I played the entire first game. I am not sure how far into it I am. I have gathered the entire crew (that's available) and have done about half of their side missions. I would say that I am probably a little more than halfway through with the game? It's hard to tell.

If BioWare improves on "Dragon Age" like they did "Mass Effect", "Dragon Age 2" could be the greatest game ever. While I liked "Mass Effect" well enough it suffered from some pretty big problems.

Here were the biggest problems I had with the original "Mass Effect":

1. The inventory management system was a bit off. I liked the variety of weapons and upgrades, but it seemed like a chore trying to keep track of everything. Is this upgrade better than that upgrade? Is the Stilleto VII better than the Falcon VII or is the Stilleto VI better? In most cases, there was one type of gun clearly better than the rest and that's the one you took, but it just took a bunch of tinkering to figure that out. Not a huge detraction, since inventory management is a staple in these games, but I found it more confusing here than in some other games.

2. The side planet missions were all, more or less, identical. Some had a nifty little story behind them that I liked, but all the planet missions were too similar in execution. You land. Drive your buggy over usually annoyingly mountainous terrain. Get to the base/cave/hideout/research facility. There were usually some turrets or dudes defending it. You kill them. Go inside. Inside, there are three basic layouts, all of which are very similar. It's not like layout 1, 2, or 3. It's more like layout 1.A, 1.B, and 1.C. The villains are always in the same part of the building. Even the few missions that take place on other ships have the same basic layout. A little work to change things up there would have gone a long way in making the side missions more unique and interesting. I lost interest in most of them after a while.

3. The people in my group during combat were of limited use. I had them using their own powers and such, but they often spent a lot of time just getting in my way or constantly shooting me in the back. There's no friendly fire, so it's not that bad, but it was still a bit irritating. When I was able to corral them and use their abilities effectively, we were a pretty kick-ass fighting squad.

4. Enemy AI. The AI of most villains was awful. That really made combat less exciting and enjoyable. They would use cover at times, but not always and not in a very effective way. I fought a couple of villains that really seemed to use it well, but not nearly enough. Many times they would just run at me or just run around as I tore them to pieces with my kick-ass assault rifle.

I am sure I wasn't the only one who had these same issues with the game and BioWare clearly knew they were problems and adressed each and every one of them. The AI is vastly improved, the missions are very different and the locations are all unique. I am really enjoying the game. The NPC quests have been great. So far, they have all been pretty interesting, emotionally engaging and a lot of fun.

I would, however, recommend playing through "Mass Effect", just ignore most of the non-critical missions or least those not involving PCs or NPCs, since they add very little to the game, because there are some very cool payoffs in Mass Effect 2. Minor NPCs and missions do come back. You meet up some with of your old crew. The game really builds on what happened in the first one, so, in order to apprecaite a lot of you, it's best to have played it. Apparently, something like 400 data points transfer over if you convert your ME 1 saved game to ME 2. It definitely shows.

So far, based on my recent RPG glut I would rank the games as: Dragon Age, Mass Effect 2, Fallout 3, and Mass Effect.

[WVUFAN]

I remember from the first Mass Effect that they had a auto-target feature, since I can't play shooters with a controller at all -- do they have something like that in Mass Effect 2?

[Honolulu_Blue]

I remember from the first Mass Effect that they had a auto-target feature, since I can't play shooters with a controller at all -- do they have something like that in Mass Effect 2?

I don't know. It may. I never noticed it/used it in the first game.

[Greyroofoo]

I believe the PC version has a "aim-assist" option so I imagine the consoles would have something similiar.

[illinifan999]

I remember from the first Mass Effect that they had a auto-target feature, since I can't play shooters with a controller at all -- do they have something like that in Mass Effect 2?


I'm terrible aiming with a controller (picture a rhino with an xbox controller, and it'd probably have better aiming skills), but ME2 is very, very forgiving with your aim. I don't think I ever felt frustrated with my aiming.

[SackAttack]

I am about 30 hours into "Mass Effect 2" at the moment, which is already 5 hours more than I played the entire first game. I am not sure how far into it I am. I have gathered the entire crew (that's available) and have done about half of their side missions. I would say that I am probably a little more than halfway through with the game? It's hard to tell.

If BioWare improves on "Dragon Age" like they did "Mass Effect", "Dragon Age 2" could be the greatest game ever. While I liked "Mass Effect" well enough it suffered from some pretty big problems.

Here were the biggest problems I had with the original "Mass Effect":

1. The inventory management system was a bit off. I liked the variety of weapons and upgrades, but it seemed like a chore trying to keep track of everything. Is this upgrade better than that upgrade? Is the Stilleto VII better than the Falcon VII or is the Stilleto VI better? In most cases, there was one type of gun clearly better than the rest and that's the one you took, but it just took a bunch of tinkering to figure that out. Not a huge detraction, since inventory management is a staple in these games, but I found it more confusing here than in some other games.

2. The side planet missions were all, more or less, identical. Some had a nifty little story behind them that I liked, but all the planet missions were too similar in execution. You land. Drive your buggy over usually annoyingly mountainous terrain. Get to the base/cave/hideout/research facility. There were usually some turrets or dudes defending it. You kill them. Go inside. Inside, there are three basic layouts, all of which are very similar. It's not like layout 1, 2, or 3. It's more like layout 1.A, 1.B, and 1.C. The villains are always in the same part of the building. Even the few missions that take place on other ships have the same basic layout. A little work to change things up there would have gone a long way in making the side missions more unique and interesting. I lost interest in most of them after a while.

3. The people in my group during combat were of limited use. I had them using their own powers and such, but they often spent a lot of time just getting in my way or constantly shooting me in the back. There's no friendly fire, so it's not that bad, but it was still a bit irritating. When I was able to corral them and use their abilities effectively, we were a pretty kick-ass fighting squad.

4. Enemy AI. The AI of most villains was awful. That really made combat less exciting and enjoyable. They would use cover at times, but not always and not in a very effective way. I fought a couple of villains that really seemed to use it well, but not nearly enough. Many times they would just run at me or just run around as I tore them to pieces with my kick-ass assault rifle.

I am sure I wasn't the only one who had these same issues with the game and BioWare clearly knew they were problems and adressed each and every one of them. The AI is vastly improved, the missions are very different and the locations are all unique. I am really enjoying the game. The NPC quests have been great. So far, they have all been pretty interesting, emotionally engaging and a lot of fun.

I would, however, recommend playing through "Mass Effect", just ignore most of the non-critical missions or least those not involving PCs or NPCs, since they add very little to the game, because there are some very cool payoffs in Mass Effect 2. Minor NPCs and missions do come back. You meet up some with of your old crew. The game really builds on what happened in the first one, so, in order to apprecaite a lot of you, it's best to have played it. Apparently, something like 400 data points transfer over if you convert your ME 1 saved game to ME 2. It definitely shows.

So far, based on my recent RPG glut I would rank the games as: Dragon Age, Mass Effect 2, Fallout 3, and Mass Effect.

I will say I've had my ass saved by compadres using their powers in ME2 a few times.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm terrible aiming with a controller (picture a rhino with an xbox controller, and it'd probably have better aiming skills), but ME2 is very, very forgiving with your aim. I don't think I ever felt frustrated with my aiming.


It is forgiving, but I would not say very forgiving and definitely not as forgiving as the 1st one. ME2 feels much more like a shooter to me than 1 ever did. That being said, I still rely on the powers and they are very helpful in turning the tide. I particularly like tech armor. :D

[SackAttack]

I am loving the Firewalker pack that came out today, offhand. As unforgiving and frustrating as the Mako was, the new vehicle is the opposite.

[Schmidty]

I know I'm way behind the times, but I'm finally playing Dragon Age on PC. I like it a lot. Even though I'm running it with a 9600 gts, it still looks great with everything maxed out.

My only question: I'm playing as a good guy, but is there any way to be bad and still make the game fun (unlike NW2)?

[Honolulu_Blue]

I am loving the Firewalker pack that came out today, offhand. As unforgiving and frustrating as the Mako was, the new vehicle is the opposite.

I just started downloading it.

Ditching the Mako was very good.

[Honolulu_Blue]

My only question: I'm playing as a good guy, but is there any way to be bad and still make the game fun (unlike NW2)?

It's hard to say, since I never played NW2. You can play as bad/immoral and still get through the game. I think the game still follows the same general path, but the world will be affected differently for certain.

[RainMaker]

I have both. Honestly I have given BC2 two chances at online game play and went back to MW2. I will give it another shot, but my experiences with BC2 so far have not been good. I can deal with the cheese tactics in MW2 (commando/lightweight/marathon set up with double shotguns), I am still unsure I like BC2 and how it does things. The games seemed cool, but when I was on (middle of the night) hardly anyone was playing it seemed (they are playing on MW2 at that time). Also, the non-stop helicopters annoyed me, especially when every match seemed like it was only 5v5 at best. I am used to Ground War in MW2 and WaW, I like more guys.
People are playing in the middle of the night, it's just EA has such a horrible matchmaking system that there are rarely full games at night. The game is a blast during prime gaming hours but unplayable during off-peak hours.

[tyketime]

I am experiencing similar issues w/ BC2. I played late afternoon yesterday (I've played more Squad Deathmatch than the other modes) and had a good time with ny Team of 4 for an hour or so. I logged back in last night, and I had 2 rounds where I was the only player in my squad. I hope they are focusing on improvements for matchmaking. I really enjoy this game. More than MW2.

[SportsDino]

I played an evil character, the game is pretty much the same meat, just slightly different gravy. You get some benefits you wouldn't get otherwise, you lose some, it doesn't make the game hard, but if you are expecting a severely different experience you probably won't get it. Its nice to piss off a good character so they leave you, but either way you still go through the same sequence of events, you just have a different cast at the end game.

I crush on Morrigan so it was fun for me, bit easier to get her funner moments if you lean evil.

The game doesn't get noticeably harder or easier, for me, however i will say there is a severe disadvantage to a couple particular choices if you rely on the easiest way to win the game (tank and heal). When i went evil I focused on causing damage as quickly and viciously as possible and didn't have too much trouble, although I carried more potions than most probably did (wealth is plentiful in the game for the most part).

[SackAttack]

Beat Mass Effect 2 last night. Intense and amusing at the same time.

[dubb93]

Beat Mass Effect 2 last night. Intense and amusing at the same time.

If you wouldn't mind saying, what was your playtime? Just curious as to how long it is taking people to play through the game. I have the game, but I'm not sure now is the time to dig into a 40 hour game. Basically the play time is going to determine if I start the game this week or during the summer.

[Honolulu_Blue]

If you wouldn't mind saying, what was your playtime? Just curious as to how long it is taking people to play through the game. I have the game, but I'm not sure now is the time to dig into a 40 hour game. Basically the play time is going to determine if I start the game this week or during the summer.

I am 34 hours or so into the game and haven't finished it. Not sure how much is left, but I would expect (and hope for) at least several more hours.

[SackAttack]

If you wouldn't mind saying, what was your playtime? Just curious as to how long it is taking people to play through the game. I have the game, but I'm not sure now is the time to dig into a 40 hour game. Basically the play time is going to determine if I start the game this week or during the summer.

Let me preface this by saying I did fucking EVERYTHING before I took on the final mission.

So, with that said, I clocked in around 50 hours.

But, again...everything. And that includes the Firewalker DLC that just came out. And that playtime was probably inflated some by flipping back and forth between my Xbox 360 and my PC (both are hooked up to my TV) if I had conversations going on with AIM buddies.

My guess is that the game is beatable in a 30-35 hour range, but inflatable up to 45-50, and that the difficulty on which you play influences things too.

[Schmidty]

I played an evil character, the game is pretty much the same meat, just slightly different gravy. You get some benefits you wouldn't get otherwise, you lose some, it doesn't make the game hard, but if you are expecting a severely different experience you probably won't get it. Its nice to piss off a good character so they leave you, but either way you still go through the same sequence of events, you just have a different cast at the end game.

I crush on Morrigan so it was fun for me, bit easier to get her funner moments if you lean evil.

The game doesn't get noticeably harder or easier, for me, however i will say there is a severe disadvantage to a couple particular choices if you rely on the easiest way to win the game (tank and heal). When i went evil I focused on causing damage as quickly and viciously as possible and didn't have too much trouble, although I carried more potions than most probably did (wealth is plentiful in the game for the most part).

Cool, thanks.

One last question: Regardless of good or bad, is it worth playing through again as a character with a different race and background?

[MikeVic]

Cool, thanks.

One last question: Regardless of good or bad, is it worth playing through again as a character with a different race and background?

Instead of playing this game, you should get on posting certain pics pls k thx.

[TroyF]

I finished off God of War III.

Generic impressions:

1) This would rank in my top 20 games ever played, so don't take what I say after this to mean the game sucks, it doesn't.

2) If Bioshock 2 pissed people off because of a lack of innovation, God of War III did that for me. The graphics were nicer. The new weapons system was ok (outside of the fact you really only needed two of them to finish the game) But at the end of the day, this wasn't that much different from God of War.

3) Certain parts of the story really bothered me. Overall it was an OK ending, but some things just pissed me off.

Seriously, I fight Poseidon, God of the Sea on Gaia? Are you kidding me? You couldn't have figured out how to do that fight, ya know, in water maybe? Athena's ghost lives, but none of the other Gods do? Zeus is that pissed off, but waits until Kratos gets to the end of his journey to do anything about it? I dunno, maybe it didn't bother some people as much as me, but I thought the story could have been a lot better

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Another trailer from 3D Dot Game Heroes. Really looking forward to the release of this game.

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[Cringer]

Well, I went back to trying Bad Company 2's online MP play, and I have played Modern Warfare once since then. It seems I was getting very tired of the cheese on MW2 and I have gotten more used to Bad Company and enjoying it very much. The off-peak hours do stink as I and someone else pointed out, though it hasn't been as bad as that first time I tried it. Plus, I have suffered really no lag so that is a nice bonus after the COD games.

Wanted to play the last 8 hours, going to get some time in right now actually.

[dubb93]

Well, I went back to trying Bad Company 2's online MP play, and I have played Modern Warfare once since then. It seems I was getting very tired of the cheese on MW2 and I have gotten more used to Bad Company and enjoying it very much. The off-peak hours do stink as I and someone else pointed out, though it hasn't been as bad as that first time I tried it. Plus, I have suffered really no lag so that is a nice bonus after the COD games.

Wanted to play the last 8 hours, going to get some time in right now actually.

I love Bad Company 2 multiplayer. It is one of the first games in a long time where I actually feel like I am one of the better players. I mean I was average at Halo 2 and Perfect Dark Zero and probably below average at GRAW. Those actually being the last 3 FPS online games that I played.

Now on Bad Company 2, I have games where I'm average, but for some reason it seems that I'm getting alot of "Best Player" medals. This is probably influencing my opinion of the game a little bit, but I would recommend this game to anybody. For anyone wondering I play an Assault class mainly with a 4x zoom scope and the increased accuracy gun modification.

The main thing that most people don't seem to understand which I think really makes my play that much better is to tap the fire button. Most players seem to hold it and it makes thier gun fire completely inaccurate. By tapping it you make the cursor reset to what you are shooting and you can really get alot of bullets on your target.

[Cringer]

I love Bad Company 2 multiplayer. It is one of the first games in a long time where I actually feel like I am one of the better players. I mean I was average at Halo 2 and Perfect Dark Zero and probably below average at GRAW. Those actually being the last 3 FPS online games that I played.

Now on Bad Company 2, I have games where I'm average, but for some reason it seems that I'm getting alot of "Best Player" medals. This is probably influencing my opinion of the game a little bit, but I would recommend this game to anybody. For anyone wondering I play an Assault class mainly with a 4x zoom scope and the increased accuracy gun modification.

The main thing that most people don't seem to understand which I think really makes my play that much better is to tap the fire button. Most players seem to hold it and it makes thier gun fire completely inaccurate. By tapping it you make the cursor reset to what you are shooting and you can really get alot of bullets on your target.

I think it is the small things I really like once I got it in my head to use, and to use the right way. Anti-tank mines being one. I like being Engineer class because of RPGs and AT mines, add on the extra explosives perk and last night I had 3 tanks with multiple guys blow up on one stretch of road in a game of rush. They kept coming back, and I kept having more AT mines for them. Plus the RPGs are great on maps without tanks or choppers, especially for opening up a new building entrance.

I also have found my joy of sniping again. I hate sniping in MW2 online.

[dubb93]

Plus the RPGs are great on maps without tanks or choppers, especially for opening up a new building entrance.



An fyi the assault class's gernade launcher add-on to the gun is much better for this use. It litterally takes 1/4 of the time to switch to the gernade laucher, shoot it off and then switch back to the assault rifle that it takes to whip out the RPG, shoot it and then switch back.

I started out playing the eng. class, but after a few plays of the assault it switched back due to the more powerful and accurate assault rifles and the fact that the gernade launcher is IMO 10x more useful for getting kills than the RPG. The only downside to assault is that it is useless against vechicles, but enough people play those classes that it is easy to rack up kills just letting those guys destroy the tank and then quickly killing the people who run out.

[RainMaker]

The grenade launcher is so underutilized. It's a great way to quickly clear out walls too and it's always great when you blow out a wall and get a blind kill.

You can also use the smoke attachment which works great too. I love it as a defender because when an MCOM is set, you can launch a few in front of it so the snipers can't see anything and then disarm. It also makes a nice cover if you're crossing some open land.

[Cringer]

I will have to give the grenade launcher my tries. I got so used to hating people in MW2 who used it for spawn kills that I have only really used the smoke grenades. Smoke is always nice.

@dubb, there has always been a part of me that greatly enjoys blowing up people in tanks, I racked up a ton of kills in COD: World at War by blowing guys in their tanks. Some guys just think they are invincible in them and go charging in, and have probably gotten away with getting a bunch of kills like that in many of their games. I take pleasure making their game play a pain in the ass.

I am also trying to perfect shooting down helicopters. I am getting a little better.

[SportsDino]

Cool, thanks.

One last question: Regardless of good or bad, is it worth playing through again as a character with a different race and background?

Play through every backstory... or at least mage, human, one dwarf (most similar my opinion), and both elves. As i've said in general about Dragon Age, the rest of the game experience may be 'tweaked' but it won't feel like a significantly different game from a story standpoint.

If you like to roleplay a bit and play through again for gameplay, the good/evil styling is different enough to appreciate the subtleties. Also if you are a gameplay nut, gearing up your team for something other than the tank and heal strategy is a fun project (tank and heal is the simplest and I suggest for first playthrough, in this game, probably also do your good playthrough for easiest learning curve).

I don't know if I got the urge to go a third time, it took gathering up DLC to encourage me to try a second full play (I went good, tank and heal, was EASY). My first time was evil, mage heavy, with emphasis on rapid damage... a thing of beauty when taking on a small orc horde and you cut through em like flaming knife through butter (I liked fire).

I've gone through the backstories but generally bailed out at Ostagar for most of them after my first full game. I played deep enough to be convinced it doesn't have too much of an effect though, other than small touches.

[mckerney]

An fyi the assault class's gernade launcher add-on to the gun is much better for this use. It litterally takes 1/4 of the time to switch to the gernade laucher, shoot it off and then switch back to the assault rifle that it takes to whip out the RPG, shoot it and then switch back.

I started out playing the eng. class, but after a few plays of the assault it switched back due to the more powerful and accurate assault rifles and the fact that the gernade launcher is IMO 10x more useful for getting kills than the RPG. The only downside to assault is that it is useless against vechicles, but enough people play those classes that it is easy to rack up kills just letting those guys destroy the tank and then quickly killing theV people who run out.

I didn't realize it at first but you are able to use the grenade launcher at short range to take out part of a wall and the shell will not explode.

As far as the engineer class, I had a lot more fun once I unlocked the Carl Gustav to replace the RPG. It's better for getting kills and taking down helicopters.

[mckerney]

Also, make sure you get at least one kill with the defibs and repair tool. Good times, good times...

[RainMaker]

Carl Gustav is a good friend.

[Emmett13]

I've never been more ready for a game than Red Dead Redemption.

My all time favorite SNES game was Sunset Riders. And I've tried just about every western since then, most sucked very, very hard. Red Dead Revolver was kind of cool, so was Gun. But for the most part, ass.

Looks sweeter than sweet. Some might say, really sweet.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Beat Mass Effect 2 last night. Intense and amusing at the same time.

I just finished this too. I agree, a fun ending. Some of the dialogue between Joker and Edi had me laughing out loud for a while after. Some great stuff.

I loved how they involved the whole team during the last mission. I'd love to see that kind of thing in more missions in the next game.

Great game.

[JonInMiddleGA]

New map packs on the way (http://www.geek.com/articles/games/mw2-stimulus-package-dlc-will-sell-for-15-20100315/) for MW2, March 30th for 360.

I guess mentioning that is about the hip equivalent of mentioning the impending arrival of a Creed album or something but it seemed worth at least a quick mention.

[CrimsonFox]

Okay I need to buy a computer game. No idea what's good lately. I like action adventures with STORY (1st or 3rd person), adventures, RPGS.

[Cringer]

New map packs on the way (http://www.geek.com/articles/games/mw2-stimulus-package-dlc-will-sell-for-15-20100315/) for MW2, March 30th for 360.

I guess mentioning that is about the hip equivalent of mentioning the impending arrival of a Creed album or something but it seemed worth at least a quick mention.

I have decided I won't be buying it. I will not pay $15 for a map pack.

[SackAttack]

I just finished this too. I agree, a fun ending. Some of the dialogue between Joker and Edi had me laughing out loud for a while after. Some great stuff.

I loved how they involved the whole team during the last mission. I'd love to see that kind of thing in more missions in the next game.

Great game.

Joker kicked some serious ass in this game. Best NPC performance ever.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I have decided I won't be buying it. I will not pay $15 for a map pack.

Cripes, that's expensive. Same price on the PS3 I assume?

[rowech]

I know that it's not a 2010 game but I'm playing Metal Gear Solid 4...or I should say I'm watching Metal Gear Solid 4. Is this a joke?